Based in Fujisawa, Chigasaki, and Samukawa, 2 cities and 1 town, “Shonan United BC”, which has been working to enter the B3 league of professional basketball, will officially join the 2022-23 season at the league board meeting on April 14. Eligibility was approved. The official entry is Friday, July 1st. This is the fourth club in the prefecture to enter the B League, and the people concerned are enthusiastic about “creating a team that is loved by the community.”
Shonan United BC was established by the Fujisawa Chamber of Commerce and Industry in May last year. In September of the same year, it was considered to be the most difficult entry, and it passed the first screening to examine the financial base for maintaining the team and the environment for mobilizing spectators. So far, about 70 supporting companies have gathered, with the Kinoshita Group (Tokyo), which handles housing and long-term care and welfare businesses, as the main sponsor.
“To a team loved by the community”
Shizuo Ogawa, the representative of the club, had a press conference at the Fujisawa City Hall on the 15th, the day after the decision to enter the market. Greetings. He said he plans to open a fan club in the future, and stated his aspirations, “We aim to be a team that is not only strong but also loved by the community.”
In the future, we will start full-scale acquisition of players, mainly players related to Shonan. It is said that a tryout is also planned, and 15 people who can register will be gathered. The team, including the head coach and trainer, will be ready by the end of June.
There are 5 match venues, including Akihadai Cultural Gymnasium (Fujisawa City), Chigasaki City, and Samukawa Town. The opening game of the home is scheduled for Saturday, October 8th at the gymnasium.
Ogawa said, “We will spread the team color Shonan Blue all over the country. We want to make it a team that can be promoted to B2 in a few years.”
