Record BBL crowd at The O2 attracts global interest

The BBL Play-Off Final has attracted global interest after a record breaking crowd of almost 15,000 congregated at the The O2 for what was a historic and unforgettable day for British Basketball.

Some 14,700 supporters were in attendance to firstly enjoy HoopsAid 2015, prior to watching Esh Group Eagles Newcastle complete a clean sweep of silverware by easing past London Lions in the Final.

The event was featured on the front page of the FIBA Europe website on Monday morning and queries have since been received from media and organisations in various different countries wanting to find out even more about what was a landmark day.

Fans around the globe enjoyed watching the Final via the BBC Sport website, with the BBC also compiling their top five plays of the game and making the match-up available to watch for 30 days via the BBC i-player.

The interest generated caused #BBLplayoffFinal to trend significantly on twitter and all social media platforms were buzzing with interest – both on the day itself and even now in the aftermath of a day which will live long in the memory of those who attended.

Indeed many of the celebrities, sport stars and performers who took part in the HoopsAid 2015 charity event and watched the Final expressed their approval and enthusiasm for a great day via social media.

Reflecting on a successful day, BBL and WBBL Chairman, Ed Percival said, “We already had a great track record of putting on excellent events and especially for showpiece Finals and what happened at The O2 raised the bar yet again.

“It certainly looked and most importantly, felt like a celebration of basketball and that is exactly what it was.

“Especially because we not only had the Final, but the HoopsAid games and also the Hoops For Health and Foundation activities too.

“The record BBL crowd of almost 15,000 was a clear message of the importance our sport holds for so many people.

“It was particularly great to see so many of our partners in attendance and being very supportive.”

He added, “Everyone associated with the event should be very proud and we are determined to continue building on this valuable platform to help improve every aspect of what we do as a league and as an organisation.”

The Final was covered by many media outlets nationally, including a range of newspapers and websites.

I Player – http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b05v4c2z/basketball-2015-bbl-playoff-final

BBC Sport Top Five – http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/basketball/32681200

Highlights video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoZEozuOPTs