SGS WISE Arena

SGS WISE Arena sits on the WISE Campus in Stoke Gifford, forming part of the Bristol North Fringe rather than the city centre proper. The ground opened in 2005 as part of a £17.5 million vocational centre for sport and the arts, built by SGS College, which is now South Gloucestershire and Stroud College. The arena has been home to the British Basketball League team Bristol Flyers since 2006. The building itself is a functional structure, not an architectural landmark. The wider grounds feature the artificial turf pitches that were originally constructed for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, though the arena itself hosts basketball on a standard court surface. Following a refurbishment in 2009, the seating capacity was increased to 1,000 spectators, though the highest attendance recorded for any event at the arena remains the 750 spectators who turned up for a pre-season exhibition match between the Bristol Flyers and a Team USA Select team in the 2012/13 season. The Flyers have also hosted European North Basketball League fixtures here, including a playoff game against the Lithuanian team Šiauliai. There is no standalone official website for the arena; it is managed as part of the college facilities. The venue does not appear to host major commercial concerts or significant non-sporting incidents, sticking to its basketball and sports programme. It is one of the few indoor basketball venues in the Bristol area, giving the Flyers a permanent home in the city despite the northern fringe location.