Australian basketball has celebrated a truly momentous day in its chequered history with the national and domestic organising bodies agreeing to operate under one umbrella.
In separate votes, the 16 members of the Basketball Australia Council and the National Basketball League’s 11 each unanimously opted to merge and accept the recommendations of an independent review.
The agreement is expected to fast-track a lucrative multi-year deal with pay television service Fox Sports.
Officials believe the merger will make it easier to arrange such crucial elements as broadcasting rights and sponsorship deals.
“It’s a momentous day, it gives us the opportunity to do things we couldn’t do before and really take the sport forward,” said BA and NBL chairman David Thodey.
With a unanimous mandate for reform, officials are expected to continue negotiations with Fox next week over a package believed to include live coverage of every game in a revamped national league from 2009-10, plus regular internationals for the Boomers and Opals.
While the NBL has struggled in recent years, officials stressed the sport still had plenty going for it in Australia.
They said they had 600,000 members and one million people played the sport in Australia, with the country ranked second in the world after picking up a total of three medals at the Olympics and Paralympics.
However, the NBL flagship has struggled in turbulent waters in recent times, with no major naming rights sponsor while three teams – Sydney, Brisbane and Singapore – dropped out of the NBL before this season.
The size of the 20009-10 competition has yet to be determined, though it could well be smaller than the current 10-team version.
Thodey said he hoped the criteria for inclusion in the `09-10 national league would be finalised before the end of this year.
“There has been a number of eight bandied about, that’s a possibility. What’s most important is strong financial backing of each club,” Thodey said.
“If it had to go down to six, we can go there.”
Both Thodey and BA interim chief executive Scott Derwin stressed financial viability would be a major factor for any group seeking to enter a team in the revamped competition.
“The important thing is the current (NBL club) owners have all agreed to a very strong set of financial criteria,” Derwin said.
“It will be very important that whatever teams play in the league – which will start in October next year – are financially strong and that they are there for the long haul.
“We can’t afford as a sport to have any further casualties, we need to make sure they are robust.”
Derwin acknowledged that the hard work was only just starting and Thodey warned against a quick fix.
“It’s going to take a bit of time, we’re not looking for an overnight miracle, but we’re here for the long term,” Thodey said.
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