'That's been our trophy, building this facility': How Sheffield Sharks' SLB Cup final journey is reward for years of sacrifice

On Sunday, at their packed-out Canon Medical Arena, Sharks completed a two-leg semi-final victory over Bristol Flyers to book a place in the Super League Basketball Cup final against Surrey 89ers in Nottingham on Sunday, March 9.

For head coach Atiba Lyons and club director Yuri Matischen, the joy that was shared among the players, staff and the fans once the buzzer went on their convincing 154-127 aggregate victory made the often painstaking process of trying to get to this point worthwhile.

Matischen founded the club as the Forgers back in 1991 and changed their name to Sharks in ‘94 as they embarked on a two-decade run of success.

Yet thereafter the trophies dried up, none since 2016, and no finals since 2018. But all because there was a greater purpose.

“The lack of recent success never bothered me,” Matischen tells The Yorkshire Post. “What we’ve always done is maintain a competitive team.

"What we were always conscious of is that we wanted to be financially healthy, we didn’t want to go boom or bust, so we did what we could within our means.

“Our long-term plan was always to arrive at this venue and over a decade spent trying to get to that situation meant you were always investing in this as well as investing in the team.

“While it’s nice to win a cup or a trophy, the prize for us was always the arena and that’s what we’ve done.”

Now with Sharks in a cup final, second in the league, playing in a 2,500-seater, three-court arena and with investment from America in the shape of entrepreneur Vaughn Millette as new owner - infrastructure and success go hand-in-hand.

“That’s been our championship win, to build this facility,” said Matischen of the £14m privately-financed arena built with Canon Medical Systems.

“And it’s no surprise that the facility attracts investment, attracts success, and we’re going to a final. And if we can also get the Hatters to the final as well (they play their Cup semi-final at home to Newcastle Eagles on Friday week with the final to be played before the men’s on March 9), that’s where we can be judged - that these guys built over a period of time a plan to be sustainable and even more successful.

“It’s about creating a club ethos and building it, and that’s why choosing Vaughn as an investor in us was so important because he’s such a like-minded individual.”

Matischen added: “And credit to Atiba. When you’ve got a new owner coming in it can change things, you’re under more pressure. But we’ve always been a tight-knit group here and Atiba has got us to second in the league and to a cup final. Yes he’s done that with a bit more money, a bit more talent, but he’s got to bring that to bear. He and his coaching staff have done a great job and hopefully Vanessa and the Hatters can follow suit.”

For Lyons, reaching a showpiece occasion after so long away provided great relief, even if the job is nowhere near finished.

“It’s great to get back to a final again because it does feel a little overdue,” said Lyons, whose team return to league action at home to Manchester on Wednesday.

“We’ve been to semi-finals a lot and not got it done so it’s great to get over that hump again.

“It’s been a very difficult six months, very trying at times. But with the new pieces coming in, Vaughn coming in, all that hard work, that investment, us taking a risk with the amount of work that was put in the last five or six years to get to the point of having an arena and being able to bring all this to light and to the fans, this is a great cap on it.

“But only for the time being; we’ve got to keep pushing.”

They certainly did that over the weekend, restricting a Bristol team that had scored 122 points in 40 minutes at Cheshire a week earlier to just 127 over 80 minutes against Sheffield.

Matischen said: “The story behind both legs is the defence, not the offence. We’re always in with a shout because our defence is so tough.”

Lyons was pleased his team did not rest on their 24-point lead from the first leg and added: "Bristol played well, they pushed us, you could tell they had come here and weren’t giving up.

“We were a little bit tense to start the game, but the second half was a much more rounded team performance.

“It was a great job from the guys. The players get it, they’re a team that wants to win, they don’t need much motivation to get out and play a game.

Now to the final against Surrey in less than four weeks’ time at Nottingham’s Utilita Arena.

“Hopefully it’s packed out with Sharks fans, it will be a great new experience for a lot of us, it’s going to be incredible,” said Lyons.

“We want to enjoy all of it and it’s going to be a great one for the fans.”