The franchise originally started out as the
Southern Pirates, playing out of the city of
Portsmouth, however they were soon moved inland in 1975 to the town of
Guildford, following their coach, Brian Naysmith who had been appointed Director of Sport at the University of Surrey. The name
Southern Pirates was retained at first before being renamed
Guildford Pirates. In the 1978–79 season Guildford Pirates were champions of the Second Division of the National Basketball League and accepted an invitation to join the top tier. Known as
Team Talbot Guildford Pirates following a sponsorship deal, the franchise spent three seasons in Guildford. The team struggled in NBL Division 1, although they improved each year. The Junior (U-18) Men were more successful winning the National (U-18) Cup. In 1982, the Pirates moved again to nearby
Bracknell, becoming the
Bracknell Pirates and notching the franchise its first winning season and Play-Off appearances. In 1987 the
Bracknell Tigers joined the BBL and won the first silverware in 1988–89 before becoming the
Thames Valley Tigers. For many years, the Tigers were one of the front runners of the league, even winning the League Championship in 1994, but it was in the new millennium that the successes dried up and for owner
John Nike the team was too much of a financial burden. In April 2005, he announced that he would no longer be funding the basketball franchise nor his
ice hockey franchise
Bracknell Bees. Immediately a
consortium of fans was formed to save the club, headed by local businessman and fan Mike Davies, and they put together a viable package to take over the administration of the team. However, Nike failed to reach agreement in time for them to lease the franchise, and the deadline for entry into the BBL for 2005–06 was reached. The Tigers' BBL membership thus lapsed, but the fans obtained permission from the League to enter a new team in their place, and successful negotiations with the
Spectrum Arena in Guildford, where the Pirates franchise started, led to the birth of the brand new
Guildford Heat. == Honours ==