New Edmonton Stingers owners hope to boost ticket sales, community involvement

The Edmonton Stingers are under new management.

Three Edmontonians – Reed Clarke, Taranvir Vander and James Burns – purchased the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) team.

Reed previously served as team president since November 2021.

“Reed is a life-long Edmontonian while Tank and James are Edmonton transplants who bring proven business acumen, local industry experience and share the passion for the tremendous community-based work that Reed and his Stingers staff have already accomplished in the greater Edmonton market,” said CEBL commissioner and co-founder Mike Morreale in a statement.

“This purchase by local owners continues to strengthen the CEBL’s position as a mainstay in Canadian professional sport.”

The team was formerly owned by the CEBL. The Stingers become the sixth franchise to move to local ownership

The new owners say they’re aiming to set new records on ticket sales while boosting community involvement.

“As someone new to Canada in the early nineties, hockey was an alien sport for me, I grew up playing basketball and cricket in my youth,” said Vander. “My kids naturally gravitated to basketball at school level as NBA was the only sport on TV at home.

“I am excited to be part of this team and hope to drive community engagement and get more new Canadians involved in this great sport.”

The two-time CEBL champion Stingers start their season May 27 against the Calgary Surge.