EVERTON Tigers will be known as Mersey Tigers next season after the football club withdrew their involvement with the British Basketball League outfit, and current BBL play-off Champions.

It brings to an end the Blues’ three-year association with the basketball side who were formerly known as Toxteth Tigers.

Everton heavily reduced the support they were putting into the Tigers last summer and have now decided to sever all ties completely.

As a result the BBL Play-Off champions will be re-launched as Mersey Tigers with former chairman Gary Townsend returning to take over as owner and full-time managing director.

Townsend was instrumental in the launch of Everton Tigers as a professional club back in 2007 during his role at Everton.

He left Goodison and stood down as Tigers chairman in September 2009 after being appointed chief executive of League Two side Notts County. The 37-year-old worked closely with director of football Sven Goran Eriksson but quit Meadow Lane back in February as the club’s financial problems deepened.Now he’s back in Merseyside and relishing the chance to ensure the basketball side build on the progress that’s been made in recent years.

“We’ve had significant support from Everton since the club was launched but now the time has come to start a new, exciting era,” Townsend.

“We may be losing our association with Everton but this name change opens the club up to the other half of the city.  I’m sure the fact we were so closely aligned with the football club put some off on the red side of the city. But this is a sport for everyone and hopefully being Mersey Tigers will enable us to attract even more supporters.

“Financially, I’m confident we can secure the future by increasing our sponsorship revenues, and I am hoping to announce our new sponsors and partners very soon. Of course, I’d be really happy to speak to any other interested parties.”

Townsend, who boasts a wealth of sporting experience having worked at Manchester United for seven years and five years at Goodison, has big plans for the future.

“There is so much potential,” he added. “We’ve already had 5,000 fans at the Echo Arena for a game and with the club never having had a full-time chief executive driving things forward off the court, this potential has not been fully developed.

“This sport is great family entertainment and I’ve never heard anyone who has come to a game say a bad word about it. The challenge is getting people through the doors.

“I really believe in this and I know what we’re capable of achieving.

Martyn Best has stepped down as Tigers chairman but the director of city PR agency Paver Smith will, of course continue to support the Tigers, and will help provide some publicity and marketing resource.

“Having the Everton brand gave the Tigers credibility from day one and theyquikly proved  themselves to be a real force in British basketball and now I can see that they are ready to go it alone,” Best said.

“The Tigers have gone from nothing to the second most successful basketball team in the country in three years.

“After Gary left I and others helped carry the club through last season and it was great to add the BBL Play-Off trophy to the BBL Cup we won the year before.

“It’s a massive boost to have Gary back and with his wealth of experience I’m sure the club will go from strength to strength and I wish them well.”

Coach Tony Garbelotto will remain at the helm but Townsend faces a hectic few weeks signing up players for next season. None of last year’s crop are under contract and American duo Kevin Bell and Jerome Gumbs are unlikely to return, although Coach Garbelotto has had talks with some of last season’s favourites, and Townsend said: “We have made some exciting progress on all fronts, and we will have some good news for all our fans over the next few weeks, and I’m looking forward to a very exciting future for the new Mersey Tigers.”