Capitalize Lands British Basketball Association PR Brief

The British Basketball Association has appointed Capitalize–The BrandFan® Agency to communicate the development of a new premier professional basketball competition in the UK.  

Capitalize’s remit includes promoting the British Basketball Association’s plans for its nationwide league to sport and entertainment fans as well as businesses and the UK sport industry as a whole.  The agency will announce and publicise eight franchised teams, each covering a major UK city, as they are signed ahead of the series launch at a pre-season exhibition game in October 2014.

The BBA brief will see Capitalize target national and regional titles as well as sport and lifestyle consumer media, with the agency using a mix of British athletes alongside global international basketball talent to communicate the series’ messages. One of those spokespersons is the basketball broadcaster and former English NBA player John Amaechi who has joined the BBA management team as a Co-Director. 

The announcement coincides with last week’s successful funding appeal by British Basketball to UK Sport, which will see the sport receive an extra year of financial support ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympics.  Basketball is currently the fourth highest participation team sport for ages 16 and over, and is the number two sport for team sports played in secondary schools in the UK.

David Paton, Chief Operating and Commercial Officer, BBA, said: “We’ve chosen Capitalize to promote us in the UK because of their expertise working with Olympic sports, their knowledge and outstanding relationships with the sport and lifestyle media in the UK, combined with their vast experience delivering events.  We are focused on bringing the best possible on and off-court experience to families and sports fans throughout the UK, and it’s extremely important to us that this new approach to UK basketball is conveyed through our PR.”

Richard Moore, CEO at Capitalize, said: “Interest in basketball has significantly increased in the UK with the introduction of NBA games in London, and the London 2012 Olympics has changed the way sport is experienced here.  All in all it’s a great time to launch a new team sports series.  Capitalize is delighted to have been selected by the BBA to help convert fans for a new era of basketball in the UK .”