British Haxball Association

The British Haxball Association
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The Home of the British Haxball Premier League and the British Haxball League 1.
Also administrates additional League Qualification, non-league and International Tournaments.
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The initial founding 8 teams:
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Albion Avengers
Leeds HC
Liverpool Wolves
London Dynamo
Newcastle H.C.
Northern Shamrock
PDR United
Riverside Reign
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Format:
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Double Round Robin Matches
Match Length: 2 x 10 minutes
6v6 (5 Outfield, 1 dedicated Keeper)
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Background:
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Professional Haxball within the territory of Britain only became somewhat serious within the late 2000s and early 2010s, with a few attempts being made at National Leagues (namely the English Haxball League, England Pro Haxball and All-Irish Haxball League). Before that point all competition was Amateur and Semi-Professional in terms of organization, infrastructure and economy, with competition mostly focusing on short Regional Leagues (Ultimate London Haxball being the most popular and long-standing one) as well as numerous one-off Tournaments.

None of those attempts manage to grab a large chunk of the market share, failing to rally demographics of Supporters and Players. By the beginning of 2012 all of the aforementioned named competitions had dissolved due to financial mismanagement and dissolution of founding members, with Players splintering across the regions.

With only smaller and localized competitions, the Haxball scene looked to remain a mostly Amateur affair and tertiary sport.

However, change happened in 2013 with the start of the British Haxball Premier League. Hinted at during late 2012 and announced at the beginning of 2013, the BHPL would be the latest British Isles-wide Professional Tournament. Supported by a cabal of business owners and spearheaded by "folk-hero" Haxballer Robert "Bobby" Hoofer, the BHPL would be run by the British Haxball Association and pushed as a fully-professional League. With big investments into marketing and presentation, the League was set to launch in late 2013 with the goal being to set a stable and steady foundation for the future.

The core of the League was made-up of all of the thus-far prominent Haxball Players of Britain, along with some new faces to help round out the rosters. The Teams themselves were mostly smaller local Teams that got propped-up by various sponsors and parties of interest.

Ultimately, the League was a success, with the concept and presentation selling both Haxball fans and the general populace into becoming Supporters of the juvenile league. Despite its short length, the league was well-received by most critics - including Haxball purists - and was a good set-up for its own future.

Season 2 was announced during the final day of Season 1, being scheduled for early Autumn of 2014 with promises of lasting until the end of the Year.

The participating Teams of Season 1 would all return for Season 2, with rumors and hints of additional Teams being added. Meanwhile, the existing ones quickly garnered a lot of positive feedback, with the Birmingham-based League Champion PDR United especially gaining a lot of attraction.

With the league's finances actually being so-so - an unexpected positive, as it was expected to operate at a loss - and the Teams quickly establishing themselves and operating soundly, the BHPL was cemented as the true start of the era of Professional British Haxball.