Mersey Tigers

Lore & Background

The club was officially presented as the 12th member of the British Basketball League on 19 June 2007, based on a sound business plan, community focus, and association with Everton Football Club. It was an amalgam of the Toxteth Tigers community youth programme, which started in 1968, and operated the Tigers Basketball Academy in partnership with Childwall Academy, founded in 2009. The senior team was initially spearheaded by Henry Mooney, head of the Toxteth programme.

Reader's Guide

The Mersey Tigers, originally the Everton Tigers, represent a notable case in British basketball history for both early success and dramatic decline. In their second season (2008–09), they won the BBL Cup with a record 103–49 victory over Plymouth Raiders, the largest winning margin in BBL history, and finished as league runners-up. However, financial difficulties plagued the club after Everton withdrew funding in July 2010, leading to a rebrand as Mersey Tigers. In 2013, the franchise was withdrawn from the BBL after becoming the first club to complete an entire season without a single victory. Their legacy includes pioneering a football-club-backed basketball model and a community youth programme that began in 1968.

Did You Know?

• The club was originally an Official Partner of Everton Football Club and was presented to 40,000 fans at Goodison Park during a UEFA Cup halftime.
• The Tigers sold out the 7,513-seat Echo Arena for a home game against Cheshire Jets in March 2008.
• They were the fifth football club in British basketball history to field a team, following Manchester United, Glasgow Rangers, Portsmouth, and Newcastle United.
• The club's first win came in an exhibition match against Manchester Magic, rallying from a 71–62 deficit to win 76–71.