I can't see them changing it Dazz, it has never been better than it is right now.

In Perth, the results of the NBL grand final, featuring the Wildcats, ranked below 'AFL coach signs routine contract extension' in the news.

Case closed.

Back then the NSL was a joke and Big Bash wasn't a thing so there is a point to be had that competing just with the AFL/NRL and not all the other sports + summer weather activities might boost attendance.

With that said, I prefer the NBL in summer.

The Big Bash, A-League and NBL combined get less coverage than the AFL.

Is there an overly simplistic point you're trying to make there kobe?

It would be better for the players to play in winter months and the NBL to attract players from european leagues perhaps. Also most people are in festive mode or traveling this time of year. But i cant see how the NBL could ever complete with the AFL for viewership in this country. Which i assume is why they changed it to a summer league. Best to leave this one alone Dazz it will never be changed again.

Is there an overly simplistic point you're trying to make there kobe?

How does it lessen competition with AFL? NBL started literally the week after the AFL Grand Final. Perfect timing.

Err... Ignore that. I misread the post.
Carry On.

With Basketball's growing international-calander, it's essential to have a Global-Baksetball calendar with all major-leagues having the same/similar schedule. As it helps in pre-season window for international matches e.g. Boomers etc.

Rugby union doesn't have a global rugby calendar, and it has all sorts of player-welfare/and schedule problems for Test-matches.

Staying out of competition with the AFL seems pretty obvious. Unfortunately, it does place the NBL in non-ratings season for TV, which does mean lower TV coverage income.

The other aspect of this is the increasing length of the AFL season. Kestelman wants to keep the basketball season entirely distinct from the footy season, and the impact of that has been a shorter NBL season. This has an effect, as teams are forced to play matches closer together, reducing recovery time between games. It also means injuries put players out for more games.

If the AFL continues to grow at the rate it has, how many more weeks of the year can it take from the NBL season?

Personally, i'd like NBL to stay in a summer slot.

However, if the argument is "avoid the biggest sport" then it's barely scratching the surface of the factors to consider. I'm not saying winter is a better slot, i'm saying it's worth considering the arguments now the sporting landscape has shifted drastically since the NBL moved seasons, and the shift makes for a significantly more crowded summer market.

For instance:

From a market standpoint, the NBL could potentially own "other sports". AFL is popular, but it doesn't mean there isn't room for variation or an alternative.

Although granted, Netball attempts to take this market out at the moment.

While in the summer you've got Big Bash & A-League to compete with in the "other sports" market so basketball is likely to be lost in the white noise. In winter, NBL could gain coverage and traction by being "not AFL" while in summer it's "just another sport to watch while waiting for the AFL to begin".

From a TV aspect if Channel Nine has the international cricket, Ten has the Big Bash and potentially Seven the A-League 'match of the week'for around $10mil in the next TV deal, what room does that leave for the NBL? At best a second rate channel like GEM/7mate/SBS?

Also consider the size of the market in winter opposed to summer.

Are people more likely to go to the basketball without competition of festivities, those nov-jan christmas/new years/oz day/usual summer trip family occasions? Or drinks, busy end of year work, the beach etc.

With less social engagements and less alternative sports available it's not out of this world that attendance could be higher, coverage slightly more available and greater sponsorship dollars.

"It would be better for the players to play in winter months and the NBL to attract players from european leagues perhaps."

The reality is actually the complete opposite. Most European commitments are from September to May-June, leaving a small window for players to have time off.

When they have games on holidays, people complain. And don't turn up.

Back when the NBL was booming, the AFL didn't even exist. Correlation != causation.

Umm yes it did.

NBL boomed from late 80s onwards and progressed upwards in early 90s... and late 80s is when VFL added interstate teams to become the AFL

Yes, the NBL did well in winter. It also did horribly in winter.

If the NBL moved to winter now, with the AFL the juggernaut that it is, the league would be dead within a year. If the most important possible NBL news ranks below the least important possible AFL news, how do you think they'll go when they're directly head-to-head? Who's going to attend NBL games when there are AFL games on?

And beyond that, what happens to the state leagues? They're all on during winter. Do they have to shift to summer, or do we force them to directly compete with the national league? What happens to players who play in state leagues in the off-season to work on their game? Where are they going to go?

It will never, ever happen.

This current summer season is getting amongst the best crowds of the league's 39 seasons.

The NBL never dominated in winter, it rated poorly on TV and never received the same media coverage as the main football codes. I think the highest season average crowd across the league was between 6000-7000, which again is hardly dominating.

There are lots of things I don't know. I just have the rare skill of not talking about them.

My main question was around slotting the NBL in with other leagues, something I am not familiar enough with. Whether we're talking about guys playing in both, the NBL picking up discarded players, etc.

As for people saying "it will never happen"
A) What will never happen? I'm asking for information and input, not saying I wnat something to happen.
B) Maybe "optimum" is moving the schedule by 2 weeks. You're saying THAT will never happen?
C) If LK gets his China deal, and the CBA or FIBA wants us to shift our season, how fast do reckon LK will agree?

TV coverage is an interesting one. We had, but were losing FTA coverage back when it was in Winter, and moving to Summer was supposed to keep it. Didn't work.
If there was a China broadcasting deal on the table, how much would that be worth? Could that push around our timetable?


As for not being a Wildcats thread? WTF?
There's a game in two days, I look forward to discussing that. Pretty much everything else has been covered.
Unless you want to discuss the "Left your Christmas gifts to the last minute? ?? ??" email I got, there's not much else going on.