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Bristol Flyers
Leagues	SLB ENBL
Established	2006; 19 years ago (2006)
History	Bristol Academy Flyers 2006–2014 Bristol Flyers 2014–present
Arena	SGS College Arena
Capacity	750
Location	Stoke Gifford,South Gloucestershire
Team colours	Hot pink, navy blue, white
Main sponsor	WOB
Head coach	Andreas Kapoulas
Ownership	Stephen Lansdown
Website	www.bristolflyers.co.uk
Home Away

TheBristol Flyers are an English professional basketball team based in the city ofBristol. The Flyers compete in theSuper League Basketball, after promotion from theEnglish Basketball League in 2014. The team play their home games at the SGS (South Gloucestershire and Stroud College) WISE Arena. The Flyers' head coach is Andreas Kapoulas.

The Flyers, part of theBristol Academy of Sport, is the largest basketball club inSouth West England and are a four star accreditedEngland Basketball andSport England clubmark club. In 2013, the club was acquired byStephen Lansdown and became a part of the Bristol Sport Ltd group, alongsideBristol City F.C. andBristol Bears, amongst others.

The club was established in 2006 through a merger between two Bristol-based teams, theFilton Flyers andBristol Academy (who were formerly known as the Bristol Bombers^[1]). Both teams competed inEnglish Basketball League Division 3 (South West), and were based at the SGS WISE Basketball Arena atFilton College, nowSouth Gloucestershire and Stroud College. Filton Flyers finished the 2005–06 season as Division 3 (South West) Champions and earned a promotion to Division 2 for the following season, whilst Bristol Academy had finished third in the league.

The newly formedBristol Academy Flyers commenced play in the 2006–07 season, having assumed Filton's spot in Division 2. The Flyers played their first competitive game on 28 October 2006, marking the occasion with a 55–75 home defeat toKent Crusaders. Flyers' Greg Streete top-scored for the débutantes with 14 points. The new-look team went on to have a very successful season, finishing Division 2 in second place with a 19–3 win record, and gained promotion to Division 1. Further success came in their inaugural appearance in thePatrons Cup. After topping their regional pool with 3 wins and just 1 defeat in the first round, Flyers marched on with a tight 75–74 victory overTeam Northumbria in the Semi-final before losing out toLeicester Warriors in the Final on 4 March 2007. Warriors defeated the Flyers 61–55 at the show-piece event at theMetro Radio Arena inNewcastle upon Tyne.^[2]

In their Division 1 debut, the Flyers opened their campaign with an away defeat to the previous season's runner up,Reading Rockets. It wasn't until their third game, an away fixture atDerby Trailblazers – who were promoted alongside the Flyers from Division 2 – that Bristol earned their first victory. New American import signing Ryan Williams (formerly ofBrooklyn Comets) posted a game-high 28 points in the 83–91 win. Flyers' sporadic form continued throughout the early part of the season and by mid-February they had recorded just a single home win – a 99–75 win over local rivalsTaunton Tigers). A 90–84 victory over fellow struggler's Derby on 16 February kick-started a change in fortunes for the Flyers, with the team marching on to record consecutive home wins overWest Anglia Fury,Coventry Crusaders andSheffield Arrows and achieve a respectable fourth-placed finish and a 10–8 win record by the end of the regular season. With home court advantage in the Play-offs, Flyers easily dispatchedLondon Leopards in the Quarter-final with a 105–96 victory, despite Leopards' Gareth Laws posting a massive 39 points.^[3] A strongManchester Magic team defeated the Flyers 88–67 in the Semi-final en route to their first Play-off Championship. Flyers weren't able to better their performance during the 2008–09 season, finishing in 5th place and with first round exits in both theNational Trophy and the post-season Play-offs.

The arrival of formerAppalachian State players Doug McLaughlin-Williams and Davis Browne in the summer of 2009 brought about a new era of success for the Flyers. With Division 1 expanding from 10 to 12 teams for the 2009–10 season, Bristol started the campaign strongly with victories overCoventry Crusaders andReading Rockets. A dismal 91–60 defeat away to Manchester Magic followed by defeats toLondon Leopards andLeeds Carnegie in the following weeks ensured that Flyers' challenge for the League title would be a closely fought one. As the season progressed Flyers, along with Manchester, Leeds andDerby Trailblazers, stormed ahead in a bid for the Division title.

As well as their positive form in Division 1, a further distraction for Flyers was their successful run in theNational Cup. After disposing of regional rivalsPlymouth Marjon andTaunton Tigers in the early rounds, Flyers overcame Reading Rockets, and a 9-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter, in a tough Quarter-final tie to win 80–84.^[4] A comfortable 83–76 victory at home to Division 1 rivals Derby in the Semi-final saw Bristol progress to their first ever National Cup Final where they were to face another league title rival, Manchester, at theEnglish Institute of Sport inSheffield. A low scoring and strong defensive performance from both teams produced a particularly scrappy Final. With Manchester holding a 2-point lead in the final minute, Flyers' McLaughlin-Williams managed to tie the game 57–57 with two out of threefree throws on 1.9 seconds and force Overtime before coming out as eventual winners, with the 63–61 victory. Davis Browne was named as the game'sMVP with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks to his name.^[5]

Back in Division 1, Bristol were able to continue their successful form and went on an 11-game winning streak to finish in fourth place with 16–6 record (Second and third-placed Manchester and Leeds also finished 16–6 but were placed higher due to their head-to-head results with Flyers). They swept passed fifth seedLeicester Warriors in the post-season Play-offs but lost in the Semi-final to Derby, who ran out 76–65 winners, at the Final Four event at the Amaechi Basketball Centre in Manchester.

Summer 2010 saw a contraction of the number of teams in Division 1, going back to 10, and with the bulk of Flyers' roster returning for the new campaign, hopes of further success were high for the 2010–11 season. Starting the regular season campaign with a 9-game winning streak – including victories over fellow title-rivals Leeds, Manchester, Derby, and Reading – it wasn't until 5 February 2011 that Flyers experienced their first League defeat; a 51–80 loss at home to Leopards. The team also had another emphatic run in the National Cup in a bid to defend their title from the previous season, knocking out Birmingham Mets (59–104), Plymouth Marjon (53–92), Leeds (85–43) and Derby (69–93) on their way to their second successive appearance in the Final. They were not able to retain their crown however, instead coming up short toBrixton TopCats at the Final atPonds Forge inSheffield. An injury-hit Flyers team were defeated 77–63 by the underdogs.^[6] The team didn't lose momentum as they continued their excellent form in the regular season and stormed to their first Division 1 League title, finishing with a 15–3 win record. In the post-season Play-offs, the team narrowly defeated the eighth-placed seed Derby, 91–90, in the Quarter-final before being knocked out by Leeds in the Semi-final, in a tight 81–85 loss at the Amaechi Basketball Centre.

The team entered into the 2011–12 campaign with key American's Davis Browne and Doug McLaughlin-Williams re-signed for the third consecutive season along with Flyers mainstays Tyrone Treasure and Greg Streete, as well as the addition of formerWorcester Wolves players Jordan Ranklin and Roy Owen. A strong start in the National Trophy saw Flyers top Pool 1 and progress to the Quarter-finals where they defeatedBradford Dragons, 59–50. They went on to beat London Leopards in the Semi-final (69–62) before being blown away by a dominant and forceful Derby side in the Final atLeicester's Braunstone Leisure Centre, losing 60–87.^[7] Another successful run in the National Cup saw Flyers record a third consecutive appearance in the Final where they faced London Leopards. Despite leading the whole game until the final two minutes, a disastrous fourth quarter – where Flyers conceded 26 points and scored just 13 – saw Bristol lose 64–63 and subsequently gift the title to London.^[8] In the regular season campaign, Flyers also finished as runner-up to London in the Division 1 title race, before being knocked out by Derby Trailblazers in the Semi-final of the Play-offs.

Flyers opened the 2012–13 season with a record attendance of 750 spectators watching a pre-season exhibition against Team USA Select at WISE Arena.^[9] A strong start in the National Trophy first round saw Flyers finish in second place in Pool 2 and advance to the Quarter-finals, where they recorded a 79–75 victory againstMedway Park Crusaders. A second consecutive Final appearance wasn't to be for Bristol, as they were knocked out with an away defeat toTees Valley Mohawks. Tees Valley's Jorge Ebanks posted 31 points as the Mohwaks recorded a 95–89 win over the Flyers.

The Flyers roster was boosted by the signing of Spanishguard Francisco Robles, formerly ofCAI Zaragoza, in November 2012. Robles made an instant impact and scored a buzzer beating three-point shot to secure a 68–71 away victory againstHemel Storm in the National Cup Quarter-final.^[10] Having previously defeated Plymouth Marjon and Worcester Wolves II in earlier rounds, Bristol edged past Reading Rockets in the Semi-final with a 72–64 victory at the WISE Arena. Sixteen-year-old local student Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye posted 15 points for the Flyers^[11] who progressed to their fourth consecutive National Cup Final. However Bristol's winless streak in the show-piece event continued as they were closely defeated by Leeds Carnegie at Ponds Forge. Though Flyers led for most of the game, an incredible 14-point comeback from Carnegie in the final two and half minutes saw the Yorkshire team claim the silverware with a 66–64 victory.^[12]

In Division 1 play, injuries to key starting five players Tyrone Treasure (out from November for 9 months) and Doug McLaughlin-Williams hindered any potential title bid. A three-game losing streak in early March further dented any title hopes but following a run of eight victories at the end of the regular season, the team had risen from rank-outsiders to finish in 2nd place for a second consecutive year – though several victories away from 1st placed Reading Rockets. In the post-season Play-offs, Bristol were drawn to play sixth seededWorthing Thunder who finished their campaign with a 50% win percentage. Despite being favourites, Bristol fell to the visiting Thunder and were knocked out after a 71–76 defeat. Enrique Garcia and Doug McLaughlin-Williams both scored 14 points for the homes side, but it was Bud Johnson from the visitors that stole the show with 26 points.

On 17 June 2013, it was announced that the club had received financial backing fromStephen Lansdown, owner ofBristol City Football Club and the 'Bristol Sport Ltd' group.^[13] As part of the deal, the club would be entering into the top-levelBritish Basketball League (BBL) for the2014–15 season as its newest franchise and rebranding itself as theBristol Flyers (from 2014).^[14]

On court, the team saw several changes to its roster including the departures of Enrique Garcia and Francisco Robles, whilst Coach Kapoulas drafted in Spencer Wells, who had previously played in Italy and Germany. Unlike previous seasons, the team struggled in the National Trophy opening stages and failed to qualify for the Quarter-final. Their form didn't improve much in the National Cup and for the first time since the 2008–09 season, Bristol did not make an appearance in the Final, having been knocked out in the Quarter-final after 58–73 defeat at home to Reading. Sporadic victories and mixed form across their regular season campaign earned the team a 7th-place finish and a place in the Play-off Quarter-final, where they were defeated byEssex Leopards. However moderate success did come in the form of an invitational place in the 1st round of theBBL Trophy. Despite their poor form throughout the season, Bristol claimed a historic shock victory againstSurrey United of the higher-level British Basketball League, in the knock-out competition. England Under-18 international star Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye high-scored for the Flyers in the 91–75 win, posting 19 points and 8 rebounds. Flyers' giant-killing feat was short lived, as they were defeated in the Quarter-finals byCheshire Phoenix.

In preparation for the start of their inaugural BBL campaign, Coach Kapoulas signed American's Doug Herring fromSaint John Mill Rats and ex-Cheshire Phoenix star Alif Bland, fromGerman ProA teamCuxhaven BasCats.^[15] In their inaugural BBL season, the Flyers finished eighth in the league, qualifying for the playoffs. However they were defeated by eventual champions Newcastle Eagles. In the next season the team finished 10th. Despite that, new signings Daniel Edozie and Cardell McFarland made a big impact on the team; McFarland made BBL team of the week multiple times and Edozie led the entire league in rebounds in the 2015/16 season.

Ahead of the 2016/17 league, veteran Doug McLaughlin-Williams was dropped from the team, with Danish international Mathias Seilund and key playmaker of the previous season Cardell McFarland also departing. To fill the gaps in the roster, the team acquired BBL veteransMichael Vigor andLovell Cook, British Virgin Islands international Leslee Smith, Brandon Boggs from the Kongsberg Miners in Norway and Hameed Ali, playing his first professional basketball after five years with theTexas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders inNCAA Division I.

Ahead of the 2018/19 season, Bristol Sport announced plans for a new 4,000-seat arena for the Flyers next toBristol City F.C.'s stadiumAshton Gate Stadium.^[16]

Following a third place finish in the 2022/23 main season, it was announced that the Flyers would join theEuropean North Basketball League from 2023/24.^[17] The team progressed to the quarter final stage of the ENBL, but multiple injuries contributed to a seventh place finish in the 2023/24 BBL. Flyers re-entered the ENBL for 2024/25 and became a founder member of the newSuper League Basketball.

• 
  Bristol Academy Flyers logo (2006–2014)
• 
  Bristol Flyers
  logo (2014–2024)

WISE Arena (2006–present)

Bristol Sports & Convention Centre (proposed)

As 6 October 2022, the Bristol Flyers had plans approved to build their new arena nearAshton Gate stadium.^[18] Work on Bristol Sport's Ashton Gate Sporting Quarter, which will include a new 5,000 seat basketball arena and a hotel, will now start construction in 2025.^[19]

Bristol Flyers roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age PG 1 Johnson, Kedrian 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 81 kg (179 lb) 25 –(1999-09-09)9 September 1999 G 2 Sherfield, Jared 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 25 –(2000-01-16)16 January 2000 G 3 Louis, Alain 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 27 –(1998-01-25)25 January 1998 PG 4 Samuels, Corey 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 75 kg (165 lb) 24 –(2000-04-22)22 April 2000 G 8 Ekwegh, Ebuka 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) F 10 Thomas-Edwards, Raphell (I) 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 115 kg (254 lb) 32 –(1993-03-05)5 March 1993 F/C 12 McCormack, Owen 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) F 15 Robinson, Demond 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 24 –(2000-10-11)11 October 2000 F 21 Smith, Leslee (C) 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) 116 kg (256 lb) 34 –(1990-07-17)17 July 1990 F 22 Lewis, Kendall 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) G 24 Hill, Corey 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 17 –(2007-10-12)12 October 2007 G 40 Landolfi, Pasquale 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 88 kg (194 lb) 24 –(2001-02-16)16 February 2001 G 77 Walshe, Evan 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 26 –(1998-04-05)5 April 1998	Head coach Andreas Kapoulas Assistant coach(es) Chris Bourne Nick Burns Legend (C) Team captain Injured Roster Updated:September 6, 2024

Bristol Flyers 24-25 roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. F 5 Roscoe, Samantha 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) G 7 Maloney-Danvers, Estella 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) G 8 Jepson, Leila 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) G 11 Hinett, Chloe 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) G 13 Kheing, Kim 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) G 14 Jurca, Melissa 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) F 15 Marchizotti, Mara (C) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) F 29 Iweanya, Veronica 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) F 35 Ball, Marlee 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	Head coach Darren Oakey Assistant coach(es) Chris Staddon Legend (C) Team captain Injured

• Official Bristol Flyers website
• Bristol Flyers on Facebook
• Bristol Flyers on Twitter

• South Gloucestershire and Stroud College
• Basketball teams in England
• Sport in Bristol
• British Basketball League teams
• 2006 establishments in England
• Basketball teams established in 2006
• Super League Basketball teams

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