With all sports having been put on the “back burner” for who knows how long, Sportswave normally gets set to cover basketball supplied by the Fraser Valley Bandits operating out of the Abbotsford Centre.

While the drive is a short 45-50 minutes from Delta, once there you’ll soon realize that it’s completely worth it.

We had the letter below come across our desk earlier today from the Commissioner of the Canadian Elite Basketball League letting everyone know what the status of league play is.

Enjoy the read and we can’t wait until they hit the hardwood!

Dear CEBL Member,

During this time of unprecedented challenge our hearts go out to all who have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak through separation from loved ones, loss of income, illness or death. 

We are extremely grateful to the courageous health care workers and service providers who assume personal risk in battling the virus while keeping our communities healthy, safe, and functioning at their best.

While basketball and all sports rightfully take a backseat to the realities of daily life during these trying times, the Canadian Elite Basketball League has been preparing for a delay to the start of the 2020 season into June. 

With restrictions in place limiting the size of public gatherings and the closure of some team practice and game venues into June, opening the season as scheduled in May is not feasible.

With your health and safety, and that of our players and staff being our highest priority, we will continue to plan contingencies for a new start date and creative formats that will enable us to play as many games as possible this summer. Our business model and staff are created to be innovative and adaptable. 

This is a valuable asset in today’s fluid environment. While no one can be certain of what the coming weeks will bring, we are eager to showcase many of Canada’s best professional players across the country again this summer.

As we prepare various contingency plans, we wish to inform our ticket holders that their financial investment is safe, and their seats are secured for as long as this delay persists. Questions or concerns related to ticketing should be directed to the local team’s front office staff.

Our teams continue to sign elite Canadian players to contracts for the 2020 season, and we look forward to returning to our arenas when it is safe to do so. 

We recognize that we are in a unique position to help restore and inspire our local communities when the time comes to once again enjoy the collective experience of a world class sports event. 

In the meantime, we are actively engaged each day on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter with content designed to keep you entertained and up-to-date with what our teams and players are doing.

Thank you for your continued support of basketball in Canada.

 Sincerely,

Mike Morreale Commissioner | CEO

Canadian Elite Basketball League