1.1 Definition and scope of study

Basketball clubs enable players with an annually renewed license to play basketball in teams of different ages and genders, with several training sessions a week and matches in national, regional or departmental championships. They are generally based in specific towns or départements.

The global basketball market is booming, valued at $9.3 billion in 2022, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.10% until 2030. The NBA (National Basketball Association) is the world's most closely followed basketball league. Its teams, known as franchises, are known the world over and are valued at several billion dollars each, with an average value of $3.95 billion in 2023. The second most popular league is the Turkish Airlines Euroleague, pitting various European teams against each other.

France also boasts several professional leagues, the two most recognized being the Betclic ELITE and the Pro B, each containing 18 teams. These two leagues are managed by the Ligue Nationale de Basketball (LNB). After a slight setback caused by the health crisis, the results of these clubs and of the federation, the FFBB (Fédération Française de Basketball), are on the up again. Basketball is a very popular sport in France; it is the 4ᵉ sport with the most licensees, and occupies second place in this ranking if we look at team sports alone. The proportion of girls is much higher in this sport than in other team sports such as soccer.

French clubs benefit from the financial support of numerous sponsors, who account for a significant proportion of their revenue, as do match receipts and operating subsidies. The most popular basketball equipment revolves around the NBA and is generally more expensive than that of the LNB. Numerous players compete in the equipment sales sector.

1.2 A booming global market

The global basketball market is booming, estimated to be worth $*.* billion in ****. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of *.**% until ****.

Estimated growth in the size of the global basketball market World, **** - ****, in $ billions Source: ****

The "basketball market" refers to the economic aspects and business strategies associated with basketball, ...

1.3 A French market recovering from the health crisis

For the ****/**** NBA season, France is the third most-represented nation, just behind the USA and Canada, with ** players. It is therefore the leading European country represented in the NBA, which testifies to the importance of the basketball market in France.

According to article L.***-* of the French Sports Code, the ...

2.1 The French are very interested in sport

Sport occupies a special place in the lives of the French. **% of French people say they are at least somewhat interested in sport.

are you interested in sport in general? France, ****, in Source: ****

This share is rising slightly, from **% in **** and **% in ****. **% of French people claim to have taken part in ...

2.2 Sportsperson profile

On average,men have a higher sports participation rate than women, with **% for men versus **% for women.

Sports participation rates by gender France, ****, in Source: ****

Young people have a higher sports participation rate than older generations. The **-** age group even achieves a sports participation rate of **%. The other generations follow ...

2.3 Basketball, a widespread sport in France

The FFBB is the French sports federation with the fourth highest number of members, with ***,*** registered in ****. This makes basketball the second most popular team sport in France.

French sports federations with the highest number of licenses France, ****, in thousands Source: ****

The number of licenses issued by the FFBB has undergone ...

2.4 The French are satisfied with the sports facilities in their community, but are waiting for new facilities

Generally speaking, the French recognize the efforts made by their local authorities to develop sports facilities.

How do you rate your local authority's policy/ efforts to develop and encourage the practice of sport? France, ****, in Source: ****

**% of French people said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their local authority's ...

3.1 A broad network of associations

The FFBB counted *,*** affiliated clubs in ****. As the following graph shows, the number of clubs with an associative format is declining year on year.

Number of FFBB-affiliated clubs France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

The ****-**** season ended with a *.*% drop in the number of clubs, to *,*** clubs, including ** new affiliations. Despite ...

3.2 Overview of LNB players

The following graph shows the breakdown of player and coach contracts approved by the LNB for France's top two professional basketball leagues. Although both divisions have the same number of teams, there are slightly more contracts approved in the first division, a sign of its greater attractiveness.

LNB-approved contracts France, ****-****, ...

3.3 Club revenues

The average operating revenues of France's top two basketball leagues give an idea of their respective performances.

Jeep ELITE and Pro B average operating revenues France, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: ****

While a similar trend can be observed for both leagues, with slight growth until the ****/**** season, followed by two ...

3.4 Club expenditure

Salaries account for the lion's share of operating expenses for Betclic ELITE and Pro B clubs. This is followed by other purchases and external expenses, social security charges, and finally other operating expenses, made up of taxes, duties, etc.

Operating expenses of Jeep Elite clubs France, ****-****, in percentage Source: ****

The ...

3.5 FFBB partners

Basketball teams in different leagues are free to establish partnerships with any equipment manufacturer. OEMs are the companies responsible for designing and producing official jerseys for various sports clubs. It is important to note that these entities are not the main sponsors that are usually displayed on the jerseys. Instead, they ...

4.1 A varied offering from professional clubs

All Betclic ELITE and Pro B matches are available free of charge live or replay via LNB TV, a platform designed toincrease the visibility of the French leagues. LNB TV is committed to broadcasting all matches live, free of charge and with commentary, in line with its "***% live, ***% free, ***% commentary" ...

4.2 The offering for amateur practitioners

The FFBB regulates club basketball through the sale of licenses. The following table shows the prices of the licenses required for competitive play.

Source: ****

After a decrease in prices in the ****/**** season, we see an increase in ****/****, surely due to inflation.in terms of facilities, while the FFBB lists a large ...

4.3 NBA equipment tops the sales charts

Basketball equipment such as shoes, balls, jerseys, shorts and more are sold directly by equipment manufacturers such as Adidas or Nike, or by retailers such as Basket*Ballers or MadinBasket. The FFBB even has its own online store selling French basketball team jerseys and merchandise.

Some retailers, such as MadinBasket, Basket ...

5. Regulations

The rules of basketball played in France are available on the FFBB website. These rules have been approved by the Central Board of the FIBA (***). The document is divided into the following sections:

The match Field of play and equipment The teams Rules of the game Violations Fouls General rules Referees, ...