Sheffield Sharks and BBL need to get creative to engage absent fans, says Callum Jones

Veteran guard Jones has crossed the Pennines to join the Sharks following his release by the Manchester Giants after eight seasons at the club.

His debut season with the Sharks gets underway on October 30, but the absence of fans is a reality all players will have to quickly adapt to.

The void created by the lack of ticket revenue is being offset by a Government bailout in excess of a million pounds, but the bigger picture for Jones is engaging new and existing fans.

“It is going to be a challenge. Nothing can replace actually having people at the games and that experience for a young person of actually seeing these big athletes going up and down the court,” said Jones, 34.

“But it’s up to the leagues and the individual clubs to create a lot more online content that can hopefully engage a different type of fan, a different dynamic.

“That’s the way a lot of young kids digest their sports anyway. I think there’s a lot of guys on the team who are passionate about exposing the sport and we know what it’s done for us and how great a sport it is.”

Continuing the club’s work in the community will also be key to that engagement.

“The community work is the foundation for any professional sports team,” added Jones. “It makes it sustainable, going into schools and having junior programmes. That is the backbone of the team.

“Sheffield already do a lot of work and it’s exciting to be involved in that activity.”

Jones is also excited about joining a team that is expected to be competitive, especially after fearing the season may not even begin.

“All those thoughts go through your head – will I even be able to play basketball this year?” he said.

“Will I be able to work it around my day job, will I have a day job? But you can go down a bit of a black hole when you start thinking like that.

“There’s certain things you can’t control so it’s just a case of when you are on the court, make sure you enjoy it and keep moving forward.”

“It’s really reassuring to come into a team that has got that stability, guys that have had success in the league for a number of years.

“Mike Tuck is a leader out there and it’s a really stable situation to integrate players into.”

“This season in particular, the team with the best chemistry who talks the most is going to do well, that could be worth another 10 points every game. We’re hoping to be one of the leading teams on that.”

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