The Brampton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced a franchise-record 3,435 fans in attendance at their inaugural School Day Game on Wednesday against the Montreal Alliance. The game marks the highest attended regular season or playoff game in the team’s five-year history.

“Today’s attendance milestone is further proof that Brampton loves basketball,” said Michael Cvitkovic, president, Brampton Honey Badgers. “This record is a testament to our collaboration with the community and cements the fact that professional basketball belongs in our city. To see thousands of students at CAA Centre today inspires our team to continue its work throughout Brampton. We are just getting started.”

The high-water mark comes a day after the CEBL announced the league is off to a record-setting pace in 2023, launching its fifth season with the highest recorded total attendance (49,944) across all venues for an opening week in league history.

The 2023 CEBL season, which tipped off May 24, saw sellouts in six markets including the Winnipeg Sea Bears’ historic single-game attendance of 7,303 – a league record – in the club’s inaugural game. The Calgary Surge also hosted a capacity crowd at their inaugural game, joining Winnipeg, Edmonton, Montreal, Scarborough and Vancouver as teams that experienced sold-out home openers this season. Montreal and Vancouver’s attendance numbers from those games were also single-game franchise records, while Niagara boasted a crowd at its 2023 home opener that was larger than any game in 2022.

The previous Honey Badgers attendance record was 3,397 set June 5, 2019, in Hamilton, against the Guelph Nighthawks (now Calgary Surge).

The next home game for Brampton is Friday, June 9 at 7 p.m. when the Honey Badgers play host to the Vancouver Bandits at CAA Centre.

Coming off a historic CEBL championship in 2022, the Honey Badgers proudly relocated the team to Brampton during the offseason and now calls CAA Centre its permanent home. For more information on the season and for tickets, visit honeybadgers.ca/tickets or call 905-522-BALL (2255).

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 per cent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian national team program, in addition to top NCAA and U SPORTS teams. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps last October. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

###

Media Contact:
Kyle Warrener

Brampton Honey Badgers

kwarrener@honeybadgers.ca

Social Media

Facebook: /honeybadgerscan

Twitter: @HoneyBadgersCAN

Instagram: honeybadgerscan