Guildford Heat become…Surrey Heat

The Heat remains the same in all but name as out goes Guildford and in comes Surrey for the upcoming British Basketball League campaign.

At a launch on Sunday night, Guildford Heat transformed into Surrey Heat, just three weeks ahead of the new season.

Managing Director, Alison Reeve, spoke this morning on BBC Radio Surrey to reveal why the name change has come into effect.

“Our franchise area covers the whole of Surrey, plus Bracknell Forest, Windsor, Maidenhead and Slough, so Surrey is a much better reflection of who we represent. It’s more inclusive of fans, sponsors and the media.

“It was a tough decision; we had to consider what current fans would think, whether anybody would be upset, but the advantages we thought far outweighed any disadvantages and from the reactions we had from our soft launch, it seems fine.

For some supporters, the news has come as a shock, and that is primarily down to the huge efforts to keep the announcement under wraps according to Reeve: “We invited fans and sponsors to come along to an event at which we revealed the name. It was very hard to keep all the details locked down until that date. It was a surprise for a lot of people; it had to be. With social media now, it is so hard to keep anything quiet, but we managed to do it.”

As well as the name change, there also comes a new website (www.surreyheat.com) and a brand new logo incorporating Heat’s mascot, Scorcher.

On his step up to becoming the face of Heat, Reeve said: “He wasn’t in the logo before so we are promoting him!”