Promoted Danum Eagles forced to play outside of Doncaster

Danum Eagles have been promoted again - but will have to play their home matches outside of Doncaster next season to satisfy league requirements.
Danum EaglesDanum Eagles
Danum Eagles

The club has agreed to play at The Pods in Scunthorpe in order to meet criteria for Division Two of the National League.

Eagles officials had held talks with Doncaster Council about switching from their current base at Danum Academy to the Dome but an agreement could not be reached.

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The Doncaster club finished second in Division Three (North) last season behind Team Newcastle University and thought they had missed out on the solitary promotion place.

But a tightening of regulations by Basketball England has seen some teams drop down the pecking order, allowing Eagles to continue their rise up the divisions.

Eagles have now won back-to-back promotions since joining the men’s National League in 2014.

The club has lofty ambitions. In late 2013 head coach Bob Martin told the Free Press he would like to see Eagles playing in the BBL “within five years or so”.

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A club statement read: “We were recently notified that the facilities at Danum Academy do not meet the required standards of a Division 2 team.

“As a result, in order to secure promotion we needed to find an alternative venue.

“Through discussions with the council over the last 12 months it became clear that there are currently no venues in Doncaster that meet these requirements.

“We have secured a venue for the 2016/17 season that is outside of Doncaster but does meet all of the standards put forward by Basketball England, The Pods in Scunthorpe is a state of the art sports facility with a large showcourt, balcony viewing area, gym facilities and a café.

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“We sincerely hope that our fans understand this difficult decision, it was one that was taken in order to move the club forward in the short term to give us the greatest opportunity to progress in the long term as we continue to work behind the scenes to ensure that we can bring professional basketball to Doncaster.

“We look forward to your continued support and we also look forward to an exciting adventure in Scunthorpe for the 2016/17 season.”