Sheffield Sharks relishing new challenge of maximising gains in British Basketball League play-offs

Sheffield Sharks’ nervy, overtime win over a Plymouth City Patriots side playing with nothing to lose on Saturday night secured fourth place in the regular season standings and with it home court advantage in the first round of the play-offs.

A shock defeat for Leicester Riders against Manchester Giants on Friday night handed Sheffield the initiative to take fourth, and after doing so their reward is a best-of-three series with the Riders in which Sheffield are slated to have two home games.

That was the first objective as they enter the British Basketball League’s post-season for a 29th successive season, given their record at the Canon Medical Arena which they moved into in October is 13-5 (win-loss) as opposed to 6-12 on the road.

The first play-off game with the Riders is scheduled for this coming Sunday, April 28, 4pm at the Canon Medical Arena.

Game two is at Leicester’s Mattioli Arena on Saturday, May 4, with a 6pm-tip-off.

Game three, if the series is tied at one win apiece and therefore needed, is scheduled for Sunday, May 5, at 3pm back at the Canon Medical Arena.

It means that for the biggest game of the season, Sheffield Sharks have less than 24 hours to sell tickets.

Yuri Matischen, the club’s chairman and founder, has seen every play-off format going in his three decades with the club but welcomes the move to the more Americanised best-of format, even if it creates a new challenge.

"We need to capitalise on the two games," he told The Yorkshire Post.

"What we’re really encouraged by is we had two games in a weekend recently (against Caledonia and Cheshire) and we had two cracking crowds.

"I think the demand is there, and the fact we’re playing the first home game on Sunday gives us chance to promote it and really sell it.”

The challenge then comes in trying to sell game three, which might not be needed if either Sheffield or Leicester win the first two games.

"We can’t sell that until we know that we need it,” said Matischen, pictured.

"We just need people to keep a date in the diary, just in case.”

The digital age works in their favour as they look to sell tickets quickly, with fans able to purchase them online and scan the barcode on the door. They can also handle walk-ups on the day.

But after years renting halls at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre and the English Institute of Sport, it is a nice conundrum to face, particularly for a club that has seen average attendances of 800 double since their move to their own arena.

Matischen added: “I really like the format and because now we’ve got our own venue it’s something we can manage a lot better. This play-off format is a big advantage if you’ve got your own venue.”

Caledonia Gladiators and the Newcastle Eagles get the play-offs underway on Friday.