TEESSIDE MOVING ON UP
Teesside Lions have moved into a new home for the 2024-25 NBL season with exciting plans afoot for pre & post game fan zones to deliver a superior spectator orientated experience.
Olympia is the new home of the Lions in a switch that further strengthens the growing partnership with Teesside University, which was recently ranked third overall (out of 86), and top in the North East for Sports Science in the Guardian University Guide 2025.
The University has spent more than £260m on its Campus Heart and will provide an appealing destination for spectators and visitors alike.
The Olympia Arena boasts an impressive, modern glass-fronted arena with recently laid floor and new seating. While the capacity is reduced to 336, the overall package is a significant improvement to the previous home at Eston Sports Academy.
Eston is more than 25 years old and was bitterly cold over the Winter months due to no heating system. One of the main issues however was the length of court being impeded by the portable baskets which did not provide the legal run-off for NBL games.
The new move provides solutions to all the prior issues as well as opportunities to enhance the Teesside Lions basketball experience with pre and post-game fan zones, with more details to follow soon.
The new Game Time will be 6pm tip on Saturdays meaning the club can appeal to the existing family audiences as well as students and as evening entertainment with several notable bars such as the Dickens Inn, Southfield and the renowned Student Union in close proximity.
Doors will open from 5pm to allow fans to be seated and enjoy the pre-game entertainment and warm-ups.
Another feature this season will be enhanced security with licensed officers at the main entrance and within the arena. Tickets must be bought via the teessidelions.com website and early purchase is advised, especially in consideration of the reduced capacity.
Teesside is one of the biggest basketball clubs between Newcastle and Leeds with more than 400 members playing multiple times per week. The club compete in National Basketball League Division 2 and boast an extensive junior development programme with more than 38 teams playing up and down the country.
Discussions earlier in the year between James Thomson and Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Mark Simpson paved the way to bring spectator orientated basketball to the Teesside University campus, adding yet another string to its bow and providing not only an opportunity to attract visitors from near and far onto Campus, but also enhance the student enrichment offer.
Club owner James Thomson is excited about the new move, and said:
“This is a significant step forward for us. Transport wise we will be based within walking distance of Middlesbrough bus and train stations. There is plenty of car parking available and we will soon have access to a secure car park on game days.
“Teesside University has invested hundreds of millions of pounds into its Campus Heart, resulting in an incredible destination that will impress many visitors.
“We will be making more announcements soon regarding other fantastic features which will launch soon.
“I would like to thank Professor Mark Simpson for his support, along with Sarah Bishop and Will Jones for their hard work in helping to realise this project.”
The new chapter for Teesside Lions begins this Saturday with a friendly game against Durham University, followed by National Cup action against local rivals TV Mohawks the week after. Both games will take place at Olympia. Tickets are available at teessidelions.com
