‘Basketball is in Hemel’s DNA – and we are proud of it’ - Hemel Storm chairman on club's success

That’s despite basketball hoops frequently being as ubiquitous as goal posts in sporting facilities, schools and indeed gardens across the country, with the tendency for people to often file it under ‘American sports’ meaning it can come as something of a surprise to learn it beats both cricket and rugby when it comes to participant numbers in England.

And in Hemel Hempstead, it’s more popular than it’s ever been.

Thanks to the exploits of the town’s own basketball team, Hemel Storm, spectators flock to the town from across Dacorum and beyond to get behind a side that plays in the second tier of the game – the National Basketball League Division One – of which they have just become champions once again before then suffering defeat in the play-off semi-finals.

And with titles and trophies becoming a regular occurrence, club chairman Tony Humphrey says there is immense pride in how Hemel Hempstead as a town is represented across the country.

"When I was younger, Hemel had a team playing at elite pro level – known as the Lakers and then the Royals – and with big sponsors like local companies Ovaltine and Kodak,” he said.

"Games were televised on Channel 4 and it’s when I really became a fan of the sport for the first time.

"But having then moved into the NBL system, things changed and the team moved away to places like Watford and Milton Keynes and eventually became London Lions, who now play in the Super League (SLB), and Hemel didn’t have any basketball for years. It had lost its main attraction.”

In 2010, all of that changed. A new team had been formed in 2006 as a feeder club to the West Hertfordshire Warriors, but gradually evolved to become a club in its own right, albeit based in Watford and then Edmonton and with the name ‘Storm’ added accordingly.

But it was another relocation, this time to Hemel Hempstead, which saw Hemel Storm born and as Humphrey explains, the club has never looked back since.

"The club started at the lowest entry point – Division Three of the NBL – but with people like Dave Titmuss, Linda Titmuss, Neil McElduff and Tony Harrison involved, success soon came,” he said.

"There were 300 at the very first game, so that showed the market was still there, and we went from strength to strength, going through the leagues and winning cup competitions to eventually reach the NBL’s top tier.”

Humphrey himself became chairman and says his role is more geared towards the commercial side of things and developing a strategy that keeps sponsors and supporters alike firmly on board.

He said: “It’s so important in this day and age. Every club has to have a strong commercial strategy but we also want it to be a community project with a national reach, utilising local links but with the Hemel name attached which we then take nationally with pride and professionalism.

"Our former MP, Sir Mike Pinning, is an honorary life president of the club and his help has also been pivotal in creating the kind of club and ethos we now have. Basketball is in Hemel’s DNA and we’re very proud of it.

"We have 22 local companies and businesses that invest in the project and support us financially to enable us to grow our product and programme in a way that has effectively got us to eight national finals, eight titles and become a leading men’s team in the country – I’d say our professional delivery is as good as many clubs in the SLB above us.”

Crowds at the club’s base of Hemel Hempstead Leisure Centre, otherwise known as the ‘Storm Dome’, frequently sell out and number around 700 per home game. A women’s team launched three years ago and the club’s junior participation programme has also been expanded, with in-school support, school camps and academies all playing a part, as well as a partnership with the University of Hertfordshire which has been in place for the last four years.

Humphrey added: “All of those things have enabled us to become a broader club – we have players doing Masters degrees at the University as well as turning out for Storm.

"We’re a volunteer-led organisation, which means we can invest as much money as possible into the basketball programme. Our volunteers are incredible, right through the club, and mean it’s a very well-oiled machine on match day and beyond and we attract a very family-orientated crowd, helped by family tickets [for four people] costing just £25.”

Players are registered on a semi-professional basis, but the club is allowed two overseas signings, with players from America and Canada often coming to the club for at least a year and on a professional basis, with their flights and accommodation costs covered and with them spending their time not only playing but also helping with the club’s community projects.

And Storm’s success in producing players that have gone on to become leading pros in the SLB is also there to act as inspiration to those who come to Hemel that it can be a stepping stone to success, Aaryn Rai and Taylor Johnson to name but two.

Humphrey said: “Players like Aaryn and Taylor give a template of proof that people can come here and bounce to the next big thing, so we can be a magnet in that sense.

“We see ourselves as an opportunity for players to come from the post-grad American system and who want to do a Masters, or have already done education but want to be a professional player. As a first pro opportunity, it’s a great place to consider – with coaches like Mark Clark, John Burnell, Michael Darlow, Jake Rothauge and Dru Spinks, we have, and have had, figures well-respected in the game.

"The overseas players can come and live locally, coach in schools and be role models – it’s a great experience for guys who are 21/22 years-old and who might not have been abroad before as we fly them over, put them in a nice place to live and it’s a big step in life for them.

"We have to develop British talent too, hence the restrictions on overseas players, but we’ve had players like Jack Burnell and Sam Newman who have been here for several years and who are part of our identity. The overseas players then come to be part of the Storm family for eight months and lots stay attached to that, as evidenced by the messages I still get from players who have been here.”

Two years ago, Storm became only the second team ever to go the entire season unbeaten in all competitions, recording 42 victories in 42 games and sweeping the board in terms of league and play-off success.

That might lead some to wonder, therefore, whether seeking a franchise to take Storm to the next level and into the professional Super League is a viable option. And whilst it’s something that Humphrey would never want to rule out, he’s in no doubt about just what it would take to achieve.

He said: “We’re limited a bit by the structure of basketball in this country. To buy a franchise would need around £2 million, then you’d need a facility that has at least 3,000 seats, whether purpose-built or a multi-use arena like the Copper Box in London.

"It’s do-able, but given we are so volunteer-led we’d need investment to achieve it, and probably the most difficult aspect would be finding land to build a facility.

"It’s an ambition of course, should those things be in place, but in the meantime we continue to focus very hard on our professional standards and deliver the kind of matchday experience that creates our following and loyalty. That in turn can make us investible and the possibilities can open up – our success in the last decade has happened because those processes are optimised.

"The NBL is becoming much more of a professional entity from the top down anyway, so the transition is happening given its strength and appeal, so that can only help us moving forward too.

"Every year is different and brings different on-court challenges. Teams get new imports and big players and become a different proposition to the year before, which makes it so exciting and unpredictable. Any team can beat any other team and it’s a real battle of tactics.

"The standard is totally different to ten years ago and the NBL complements the SLB very well. I think it will only continue to go from strength to strength, particularly with TV coverage playing a part. We also stream all of our games. Ten years ago we had none of that.

"But to have brought Hemel Hempstead to the national stage with the backing of local business people and our own community is a great story and it means a great deal to me that we’ve been so successful.”

*Hemel Storm are currently looking for a new lead sponsor, whose name will also adorn the club’s kit, following the end of a ten-year sponsorship by Vanarama. Any interested businesses can contact the club via its website at www.stormbasketball.net.