Rossendale Raptors National League programme is to be renamed!!!

Over the past five years we have worked hard to develop Rossendale Raptors from being a local participation team to one of the leading teams in the North West. Over the next two weeks we could potentially secure promotion to the second tier of English Basketball which we see us within the top 25 teams nationally. As we move up the leagues, and face stiffer competition we will be required to practice more often, travel greater distances and become more professional in our approach.

Following a great deal of consideration and consultation we have decided, for commercial reasons, to expand our National League programme next season, and to re-name the National League teams Lancashire Spinners Basketball. We hope that this will give us access to more corporate sponsorship opportunities, commercial partnerships and help us to grow our fan base even further next year.

We are so so grateful for all our fans who have supported us over the last three season of National League basketball as we have competed as Rossendale Raptors. We are grateful to all those who have sponsored the team over the years including ISSL, CSG, Surridge Sport, HD Signs, World Options, Sanderson Weatherall, Rider Hunt, ASK Solicitors and others and hope that our new brand, the Spinners, can provide greater publicity and value for our generous sponsors. We have some of the biggest crowds in the lower divisions and we think we can further develop our game day experience to give, you our fans, one of the best live match day experiences in the country. That’s what we are aiming to do, and we hope that you will come on this journey with us.

We have chosen to name ourselves Lancashire to give us that broader scope from a geographical perspective, and have chosen Spinners as it ties in to our industrial cotton mill history and we hope it will create that local connection  as well as giving us a unique identity. We hope that it also has some good branding and promotion opportunities… Hopefully you like the name and the new logos!

You might be wondering what this means for the rest of the club? All our local senior teams, women’s teams, junior teams and sessions and community programmes will continue to be branded as Rossendale Raptors. We have a strong identity locally and we think that should without question continue. We have over 50 years of history and we want the Raptors to continue to grow and develop locally in partnership with our new identity as Lancashire’s Professional Basketball team. We intend to add an U13s National league junior team next season under the new Lancashire Spinners umbrella, as well as a second men’s national league team to play regionally in Division 4 to give more local talented young men the opportunity to compete at a higher level. Hopefully over the next three years we will all be enjoying watching the Spinners compete at the very highest level of National basketball at every age group.

If you would like to find out more about the new Lancashire Spinners:

Visit: www.lancashirespinners.co.uk

Like us on facebook: Lancashire Spinners Basketball

Or Follow us on twitter: @LancsSpinners

If you would like to get involved behind the scenes, or as a game day volunteer in some capacity for the Lancashire Spinners next season, please contact ken.masser@lancashirespinners.co.uk, we would love to have you on board.