Basketball club says league placement 'ridiculous'

Oxford Hoops compete in the top league of English basketball

A basketball club has said its future has been thrown into doubt over travel costs and player availability, after it was placed in a pool covering northern England.

Oxford Hoops won promotion to English basketball's top league last year, but will now have to travel as far afield as Teeside to play away fixtures.

Franky Marulanda, the amateur team's head coach, said the placement was "ridiculous", adding that seven players had already left after winning division two last year.

In a statement, Basketball England said the "geographic placement of the Oxford Hoops aligned better" with the northern pool than any other team in the southern group.

Having won the south-west pool of the second division last year, the Hoops expected to placed in the southern conference of the top division for the 2025/26 season.

"When we found out we were in the north we argued our position and put as many points across as we could," Mr Marulanda said.

"Financially is one thing but the time it takes to travel is another."

He explained that many of the team's players do not drive and do not live in Oxford.

"We are not a professional outfit, our players pay to play, our guys work full time, and they are parents," he said.

The top league of English basketball is split into two regional divisions of 12 teams, though two sides have dropped out of the southern group ahead of the new season.

The Hoops' closest away match of the season will be about 80 miles (130km) away in Birmingham.

"Common sense would say bring Oxford to the south, so each pool has 11 teams," Mr Marulanda told the BBC.

"As soon as I found out that there was space I requested to move to the south, and I was told 'no'."

He said the team's sponsor "doesn't want us in the north, so we'll probably lose a sponsor this year".

"With all the finances and all the headaches and all the heartache... this could all end up in the rubbish dump," he added.

Basketball England said in its statement it "sympathises" with the Hoops' situation and their current placement in the league structure.

"Teams are allocated into tiers based on their finishing position in the previous season and then split as fairly as possible geographically," the sport governing body said.