{"id":4723,"date":"2018-03-23T14:28:42","date_gmt":"2018-03-23T14:28:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsgazette.co.uk\/?p=4723"},"modified":"2018-03-24T00:23:50","modified_gmt":"2018-03-24T00:23:50","slug":"the-bbl-is-very-underrated-london-lions-owner-and-head-coach-vince-macaulay-on-the-state-of-british-basketball-and-how-the-game-can-grow-in-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsgazette.co.uk\/the-bbl-is-very-underrated-london-lions-owner-and-head-coach-vince-macaulay-on-the-state-of-british-basketball-and-how-the-game-can-grow-in-the-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe British Basketball League is very underrated\u201d:  London Lions owner and head coach Vince Macaulay on the state of British basketball and how the game can grow in the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">Vince Macaulay was introduced to basketball as a teenager in Liverpool. He never planned for the sport to impact his life; all he ever aspired to do was work with film. Instead, Macaulay is now once again coaching the team he owns, the London Lions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">Macaulay founded the Lions in 1997 in Milton Keynes before moving the club to London for the 2014-15 season and even coaching that year before taking a backseat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a id='mz1Hit49TwNPB6NdYVKPRg' class='gie-single' href='http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/905025098' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;'>Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'mz1Hit49TwNPB6NdYVKPRg',sig:'P6rR9iREvd4G2HrWWFYWqRcKV7cSsEFaNzNLFRwMLk8=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'905025098',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">Becoming a focal point of the local community, and increasing the sport\u2019s popularity nationwide are long term goals. But for now, Macauley has more pressing concerns\u2026 After a run a poor results late in 2017, Macaulay has reappointed himself back to the coaching hot-seat as Lions chase a slot in the BBL playoffs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">\u201cCoaching wasn\u2019t necessarily where I set out to be. I want to develop the whole club,\u201d Macaulay says. \u201cCoaching is a critical aspect (but so is) marketing, the players and the fans.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">In terms of being in a league worthy enough to attract fans to the sport, Macaulay doesn\u2019t undervalue BBL.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">\u201cIt\u2019s a very tough league and underrated. It\u2019s very athletic and very quick. It has a mixture of rookie Americans, Americans who have played in Europe, and of course some of the better British players.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">\u201cIt\u2019s a league that\u2019s trying to develop its own style of basketball. It\u2019s up-tempo. There are a lot of exciting players.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">According to Macaulay, basketball ranks as the number two played sport in the local community; the sport\u2019s popularity here is evidenced by the NBA\u2019s annual sell-out games at London\u2019s O2 arena. But can that interest translate to bums on seats to watch Lions\u2019 home games at the Copper Box in North London?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a id='L41AsQL7TrNMfIbc-RWfJw' class='gie-single' href='http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/905025194' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;'>Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'L41AsQL7TrNMfIbc-RWfJw',sig:'ed8lOrYtygRexa4sSGXPrRqfQQAamX7xhpSJUA2tk9A=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'905025194',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">\u201cThere\u2019s always been a good community connection with the fans. The big thing is just growing that fan base so that it\u2019s five or 10 times as big,\u201d he adds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">\u201cThat\u2019s an area we\u2019re now getting into. Were looking at having 3,000 people at our games. When we do that, the connection we naturally have with our fans will really turn into something quite good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">The Lions\u2019 head coach knows that one way to increase the fan base is connecting online. The league has stepped up dramatically this year by televising some games via Livebasketball.tv and on Facebook through UNILAD.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">\u201cThe biggest thing is our use of social media, both as a club and as a league. That is an area all clubs have stepped up,\u201d he adds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">\u201cThere\u2019s social media engagement (where) every game you get clips of action just like you get with NBA highlights, but those are coming out while the game is still on so people get in touch and stay alive with it. People just need to know that their local basketball club is there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">It is odd to have a city like London not embrace their local sports teams, the way they do with their football teams. Macaulay believes the distraction and fast paced life that the city provides is a reason why. The city can create benefits, he says, but it can also be a double edged sword.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a id='9yexEQI_Tv9avJ0TnKn7ow' class='gie-single' href='http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/175991808' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;'>Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'9yexEQI_Tv9avJ0TnKn7ow',sig:'BoZf6eyMv_RIvnfNNXNLcuxCtiX2fZZb63rpYq-HA6E=',w:'594px',h:'357px',items:'175991808',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">\u201cYes, the population is much larger, but also the noise is also much larger. Not only is there a lot, but there\u2019s a lot of high quality activity. We\u2019ve got the best theaters in the world, the best cinemas in the world, the best music in the world so we\u2019re competing against very high calibre of products. Trying to cut through that noise is to get your product to who you think you\u2019re target audience is, is a challenge.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">It is a challenge, Macaulay thinks, that they are beginning to conquer with the help of digital screens showcasing posters and ads of the team across London. That, with the help of social media and local talent, can really make British basketball become the talk of the town.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">\u201cThe audience is already set\u201d, he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">\u201cPeople know the stars of the NBA. What we\u2019ve got to be showing is that the level of basketball we have here, we\u2019ve got to turn our guys into our local stars. That starts, particularly, by bringing the best British players back.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">\u201cIf we focus on the kind of guys that we have in the league right now like Justin Robinson and Paul Guede, those are the kind of guys that will turn on the British fans.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<pre>Feature Image: London Lions Basketball<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vince Macaulay was introduced to basketball as a teenager in Liverpool. He never planned for the sport to impact his life; all he ever aspired to do was work with film. Instead, Macaulay is now once again coaching the team he owns, the London Lions. Macaulay founded the Lions in 1997 in Milton Keynes before [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":4728,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[45,57],"tags":[1138,1137,1139,27,1140,823,1141],"ppma_author":[4098],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.9.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u201cThe British Basketball League is very underrated\u201d: London Lions owner and head coach Vince Macaulay on the state of British basketball and how the game can grow in the UK - Sports Gazette<\/title>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsgazette.co.uk\/the-bbl-is-very-underrated-london-lions-owner-and-head-coach-vince-macaulay-on-the-state-of-british-basketball-and-how-the-game-can-grow-in-the-uk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cThe British Basketball League is very underrated\u201d: London Lions owner and head coach Vince Macaulay on the state of British basketball and how the game can grow in the UK - Sports Gazette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Vince Macaulay was introduced to basketball as a teenager in Liverpool. He never planned for the sport to impact his life; all he ever aspired to do was work with film. Instead, Macaulay is now once again coaching the team he owns, the London Lions. 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He now resides in San Diego, California. He completed his undergraduate degree at Seton Hall University located in South Orange, New Jersey with a focus on Broadcast Journalism. His broadcasting courses ranged in television and film but Louis\\u2019 main focus has always been with sportscasting. He was able to join clubs in the university like Pirate TV and Pirate Sports Network and be a major contributor and correspondent. His work consisted of creating digital content for Seton Hall University sports teams. Louis narrated, reported, produced, directed, and wrote for multiple matches and studio programs. In the summer of 2017, Louis wrote post match reports and opinion pieces on the Mexican National Team on the sports website TheAOSN.com during the FIFA Confederations Cup and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Louis is now completing an MA in International Sports Journalism at St Mary\\u2019s University Twickenham. He is pursuing to improve his all around skills in sports journalism to one day achieve his goal in the broadcasting world.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/louisolvera\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/@LouisOlveraixi\",\"Louis Olvera\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportsgazette.co.uk\/author\/louis\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","authors":[{"term_id":4098,"user_id":18,"is_guest":0,"slug":"louis","display_name":"Louis Olvera","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/35b7b9712a6e5ea1d21611f7600b8a53?s=96&d=mm&r=g","first_name":"Louis","last_name":"Olvera","user_url":"","description":"Louis grew up in a small town of Mexico called Ensenada in the state of Baja California. He now resides in San Diego, California. He completed his undergraduate degree at Seton Hall University located in South Orange, New Jersey with a focus on Broadcast Journalism. His broadcasting courses ranged in television and film but Louis\u2019 main focus has always been with sportscasting. He was able to join clubs in the university like Pirate TV and Pirate Sports Network and be a major contributor and correspondent. \r\n\r\nHis work consisted of creating digital content for Seton Hall University sports teams. Louis narrated, reported, produced, directed, and wrote for multiple matches and studio programs. In the summer of 2017, Louis wrote post match reports and opinion pieces on the Mexican National Team on the sports website TheAOSN.com during the FIFA Confederations Cup and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. \r\n\r\nLouis is now completing an MA in International Sports Journalism at St Mary\u2019s University Twickenham. 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