New home will grow Sheffield Sharks and basketball in city, says Yuri Matischen

After enduring the Covid-19 pandemic, Sheffield Sharks are now setting their sights on growth as they edge closer towards their very own arena.
Exciting future: Sheffield Sharks chairman Yuri Matischen. Picture by Simon HulmeExciting future: Sheffield Sharks chairman Yuri Matischen. Picture by Simon Hulme
Exciting future: Sheffield Sharks chairman Yuri Matischen. Picture by Simon Hulme
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Yuri Matischen on his Sheffield Sharks career, BBL bailout, basketball’s growth ...

Basketball was hit particularly hard over the last two years but the Sharks are hoping to continue their development on and off the court.

Chairman of the club, Yuri Matischen, looks back on 2021 as a bounce back year for British basketball.

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“The Covid pandemic really hurt our sport, it was difficult,” he said. “We lost a club, we nearly lost another club in the league and in the women’s league as well. It’s really important for us to bounce back, and we have done.

“It’s great that the government helped us with some survival funding, and what it enables us to do is to build on our community work that we do. We’ve got kids coming out of our ears wanting to play the sport at a young age.

“We want to play well, celebrate the fact that we survived as a club and as a league, and we’re looking forward. We’ve got a lot of positive things happening.

“We’re 12/13 months away from opening our own arena and that will be a great boost. That’s what we’re looking forward to.”

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That brand-new home for the Sharks would be a game-changer for the club, however the pandemic has not made its development any easier.

Matischen added: “There was a huge escalation in costs for raw materials, steel, wood and concrete. We put a few pounds on a project and we’ve had to restructure, rethink.

“Good news is that we’re pretty sure we’ll be putting a spade in the ground in January and looking forward. For us, it’s been a seven-year project.”

A new arena is integral to the club’s long-term future plan as the Sharks look to bring their entire operation under one roof.

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Matischen said: “Importantly, the first step is to have our own home. We’ll then have a proper identity in the city. Bring all our basketball junior clubs and women’s [team] into one facility so we have a real home. Then over three or four years build a sustainable financial revenue for the clubs and then begin to look at competing at the top of the BBL and into European competitions.

“Full houses, junior programs, having a bigger presence in the community, using basketball for good. For helping education, for helping physical activity. The brand of the Sharks is integral to this South Yorkshire area.”

The club have announced that due to Secure Play Protocols, attendees will now be required to wear face coverings at home fixtures, commencing on January 2.

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