Some quotes from the article:

"Unaudited accounts for the 2003-04 year show an anticipated loss of $734,000. The association had predicted a $250,000 profit."
(emphasis added)

"There are about 20,000 registered basketball players in SA with as many as 100,000 playing in schools and other competitions under BASA's auspices."

"It has been revealed in Parliament that in May, 2002, the association even had considered selling the championship men's team, the Adelaide 36ers."

Full article: A Basket Case

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I don't think a bail-out alone is the solution; the organisation isn't even making a decent showing despite their situation. Yes, I would want the government to support the sport and what it provides to our state, but I don't believe that the entity as it exists now is worth throwing money at.

Lets hope these distractions do not affect the teams performance and that a white knight ...or grey haired one can be found to get the sixers away from this mess.

From the outside it looks as though you are right Issac - Why just throw good money after bad at BASA. They need to prove that they can run their business profitably. If you go broke in the real world you cant just expect money from the government to bail you out. The Powerhouse repayments appear to be a millstone around their neck and clearly things cant move forward until this situation is sorted. The venue has so much potential for non basketball activities - Bands such as LIVE who are touring shortly are unable to bring in a crowd to fill the Ent Centre but are would be a perfect fit rather than at Thebby theatre.

Lets do what soccer has done and get someone in to run the show that has the business brains and a passion for the game - there must be someone out there

While the loss and the financial position is most disappointing, what I am more concerned about is the actual result v the predicted result. To be that far from the mark indicates to me that management did not have a good handle on the business and its issues when establishing the target or secondly did not properly implement actions required to deliver the predicted result. Sure things vary but this is a significant variation for the type and size of the organisation.

I would not be bailing out the Association unless there were fundamental changes as without these changes we will be going back to the trough in another couple of years for more help. I can't remember who made this quote nor the exact wordings but it is relevant:

"A stupid person is someone who does the same thing over and over and expects a different result".

If you consider this for a moment.

Sure BASA is currently financially haemmoraging. However, how much of this is due to the repayments - which they have to currently meet until the Government makes up it's mind what it is going to do.

What happens if the Government agrees to wipe the debt (either entirely, or a very significant amount). This would free up a lot of money currently "being thrown down the drain".

This money could then be used to invest in the junior programmes, in referee education and development, in building maintenance / upgrading.

I still think the proposal they were thinking about selling the 6ers should have been considered even more....I would love to see the 36ers and Lightning become totally separate and independent of BASA, and allow 6ers management to concentrate on 6ers and Lightning stuff (why cant they be called the 7's....6er's & 7er's....HA!! I kill me!), and BASA management for BASA stuff.

I am sure there is some business man or corporation out there who could see the huge potential in owning the 6ers, with obviously some sort of deal with the Dome (or... maybe move into the City to the Exhibition Centre???), making the Dome a showcase "local" stadium, allowing BASA to run things like The Blitz even, and competitively bid for more National titles.

Just some thoughts off the top of my head, feel free to shoot them down in flames (as per usual) :)

Bernie Lewis has been afforded space in today's edition of The Advertiser for a reply to the claim made that a sale of the Sixers was considered. He's said that such news is absolutely not true at all.

Boti's also made a strong point today that excuses from the current management regarding falling crowds are not founded in truth with the official word from the NBL being that crowd figures are up 2.9% league-wide on last year.

Yogee,

As much as I would like to see the 36ers and lightning moved from BASA control so that junior and stadium revenues cuold be better directed. Who would purchase the Lightning when they lose money (About 160k . And what would happen in a year when the 36ers crowds are down and they lose. Would they then become another

Sorry,

another Victorian Giants and dissolve due to no return on profit.

I have heard suggested a couple of times (Mark Robinson on the radio before the Sixers game the most recent example) from people who might know that the Sixers themselves are actually making money but BASA as a whole are in trouble. I guess BASA are the ones paying off the stadium though, not the Sixers.

You can fiddle the figures anyway you want them. Put some expenses that should be BASA's and give them to sixers or visa versa. Are these projected losses of $750,000 to be increased by the Powrehouse repayments which I am told have had the benefit of as moratorian since 2001. Maybe we should look further back past the Bernie Lewis watch. How much was lost in over cap fines, and wasn't there an unexplained loss of close on a million dollars over a couple of years that was never explained to the club presidents. Who was in charge of BASA then? Maybe the auditor general should go back a little futher then the last couple of years but there again the government would not want to find old dirt. Some of those people may be involved in government wheeling and dealing today. The problem may not stem as much from todays administrators regardless of how inept they seem to be but to the 1990-1993 group!

There must be a lawyer out there, or perhaps on the board (??), who can explain how an organisation can continue to trade when it is not certain that they can pay their debts particulalry if they are seeking a handout to survive. Or does this only apply to directors of corporations?

Roy and HG

Yes you are right...selling of the NBL and WNBL team could be seen to risk a Giants/Titans typr scenario.

However, as a one team town, I dont think it could happen here.

EVen when I started attending NBl in 97, (ironically, Smyths first year), even after a couple of disastrous seasons, the Dome (or Powerhouse back then) was jam packed.

Sell the teams to someone who can market them, who can treat them right, and invest some time and money into the teams, and you will have sold out games almost every game again.

This is no offence to the current admin team, but running the 2 entities just isnt working anymore.