The countdown to another exhilarating season of Women’s British Basketball League (WBBL) action can begin as the fixtures for the 2022-23 campaign are announced.
The season will begin on Saturday 24th September with a full fixture list across the division on the opening day. Last season’s WBBL champions, London Lions get their season underway with a trip to Oaklands Wolves, whilst two teams from last year's Play-offs meet as Leicester Riders host Essex Rebels.
The day after sees a huge clash, as London Lions and Sevenoaks Suns do battle once more after the two sides met in the final across two competitions last season. The Suns head to the capital hoping to avenge defeat in last year's dramatic Play-off Final which was watched by a record-breaking crowd of 10,928 at The O2, London.
This season will see format changes across the WBBL Trophy, Cup and Play-offs competitions.
The WBBL Cup, now a single leg knockout competition featuring all 10 WBBL teams, gets underway in October with First Round matches on Saturday 15th and 16th October, followed by the open draw Quarters and Semis, with the final taking place on Sunday 29th January 2023 at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena.
First Round fixtures, based on Championship seeding from 2021-22, confirmed as follows:
Saturday 15 October 2022 Durham Palatinates (8th) vs Manchester Met Mystics (9th) Essex Rebels (7th) vs Newcastle Eagles (10th) Nottingham Wildcats (5th) vs Oaklands Wolves (12th)
Sunday 16 October 2022 Caledonia Pride (6th) vs Cardiff Met Archers (11th) Leicester Riders (4th) vs Gloucester City Queens (13th)
London Lions, Sevenoaks Suns and Sheffield Hatters have received a First Round bye following WBBL Championship placing in the 2021-22 season.
Meanwhile the BBL Trophy, now a 16 team single-leg knockout bracket format featuring all WBBL teams and three invited non-WBBL teams, begins on the weekend of January 7/8th with a weekend of First Round matches to take place in a centralised venue (TBC). The final takes place late March, with the official date and venue to be confirmed in due course. The three invited non-WBBL teams are:
· CoLA Southwark Pride
· Thames Valley Cavaliers
· Ipswich Basketball
Format changes to this year's Play-offs will see teams who knockout higher seeded opposition in the quarter-finals gain home advantage in the semi-finals, matches will be single legged throughout. The season will reach its conclusion with the end of season Play-off Finals which are scheduled to take place on Sunday 14th May 2023 at The O2, London.
A reminder that WBBL fans can watch all three showpiece finals from the WBBL Cup, Trophy and Play-offs live on Sky Sports Arena and the Sky Sports YouTube Channel.
You can stay up to date with all the latest news from the WBBL via wbbl.org.uk as well as the league’s social media channels.
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