The Derbyshire Arrows are an English

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

club based in

Dronfield Dronfield is a town in North East Derbyshire, England, which includes Dronfield Woodhouse and Coal Aston. It lies in the valley of the River Drone between Chesterfield and Sheffield. The Peak District National Park is to the west. The name co ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. The Arrows play in National Basketball League Division 2 North, the third tier of British basketball. The club also have strong links with the city of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

, having formerly been based at the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

, and maintaining a partnership with the University's team.

History

Founded in 1991 to compete in local league competition, the Men's team joined the National Basketball League in 1998, starting in Division 3. The first couple of years in national competition saw mixed results, before changes at both club and league in 2000 ushered in a golden era for the club. First, former BBL talent Garnet Gayle joined as player/coach, closely followed by a restructure of the league which rebranded the third tier as Division 2. The Arrows then claimed the 2000/2001 league title without suffering a single defeat, earning promotion to Division 1 in the process. Further glories were to follow, taking back-to-back doubles of the league and playoff titles in 2001/2002 and 2002/2003. However, the club were denied a promotion to the NBL Conference as their home court did not meet the minimum standard required. To allow the club to advance further, they moved to the

English Institute of Sport The English Institute of Sport (EIS), established in May 2002, is an organisation which provides sport science and medical support services to elite athletes through a nationwide network of expertise and facilities, working with Olympic and Pa ...

in Sheffield, rebranding as the City of Sheffield Arrows. The national league was also rebranded as the

English Basketball League The National Basketball League, or NBL for short, is a league competition representing semi-professional and amateur basketball clubs from England and Wales. It forms levels 2 to 4 on the British basketball pyramid, in line with the Scottish B ...

in 2003, and the new league structure saw the Arrows finally admitted to the top level of English competition, taking a place in the new EBL Division 1. Another league and playoff double was to follow in 2005, this time with the National Trophy added to the EBL Division One title and playoff titles. Since winning their last title in 2005, the club have fallen from their peak, a gradual decline in results culminating in a last-place league finish in 2010 and relegation to Division 2. The drop to a more modest league saw the club return to their original Killamarsh home and reclaim their former name in 2011, and despite being ever-present in the end-of-season playoffs, the team have yet to return to Division 1.

Honours

NBL Division 1 League Champions * 2002, 2003 EBL Division 1 League Champions * 2005 NBL Division 1 Playoff Champions * 2002, 2003 EBL Division 1 Playoff Champions * 2005 NBL Division 2 League Champions * 2001 National Trophy Champions * 2005

Season-by-season records

Notes: *From 2000-2003 the NBL Conference operated as the second tier league, ahead of Division One. *In 2003 the NBL was replaced by the EBL, which reinstated Division One as the second tier.

References

External links

Official Derbyshire Arrows website
{{English Basketball League Derbyshire Arrows Sport in Derbyshire Dronfield 1991 establishments in England Basketball teams established in 1991 Sport in Sheffield