Who Me!
Years ago

Interim league - what's in it for owners?

Ok, if there is to be an Interim league, try and think like an owner for a second.
Would I risk putting my current team in the competition and potentially have to pay their current contracts, with no chance of getting enough income in to cover just that expense, or do I join Melbourne, South, Townsville(?) and Perth (?) in sitting out.
Could Mal approach, say Forestville (just to pick the top ranked ABL side) and suggest that they, with some financial assistance (sponsors etc) represent the state in the Interim League.
I could see some players e.g. Holmes, Hill, Ng, Kersten, Burdon, Cooper all agreeing to play for Forestville (for 1 season) to keep playing at the highest level available. An import would be difficult, unless somehow Ballinger would find a reason to stay (possible since he is playing in NZ now, and their league would pay less than even the Interim league to the Import, plus he becomes an Aussie in early 2010, doesn't he).
I guess the other alternative, following the Slingers example in 2008/09, is could the Sixers set up their own program playing exhibition games against Asian Teams?
What became of the National League Soccer players in the gap year between NSL & A League? I didn't follow the story close enough to know. But I do know there was a viable league (well for a couple of years anyway) for the A League.

Topic #19844 | Report this topic


playtime  
Years ago

no money in that !! join the Asia League - that's the way to go

Reply #235023 | Report this post


Loco  
Years ago

I wouldn't renew my season tickets for the first time in well over a decade for an interim league.

Reply #235031 | Report this post


asian league baby!!! shoulda been part of the reform process from day 1.

Reply #235032 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

Loco, if game tickets were $10-15 and the team was just short a couple of the top dogs?

Who Me!, why would they join a league with a high cap that was likely to lose them a few hundred thousand a year for their troubles? "I own a basketball team", ego stroking, trying to win, etc. I think there could still be takers, but it would still be challenging to make the numbers work.

e.g., try to hold 3k fans at $15 tix over 10 home games. Wouldn't even cover a budget roster. But it'd be pretty challenging to lose anywhere near $1m like I'm sure many owners do now.

Reply #235037 | Report this post


It cant be run as a business, its gotta be run by basketball enthusiasts. Theres few pro teams in Australia which generate enough profits for it to be run as a money making scheme. Even then collingwood, west coast, adelaide etc would be happily run by an enthusiast of those teams at a loss if it meant their beloved clubs existed and were competitive in the top flight league.

Reply #235047 | Report this post


skull  
Years ago

isaac - i agree.
here is my angle, the standard of the australian nbl,which to me, is to high and costly.
the revenue that it is able to generate is not enough, no matter what amount of marketing....ever.
(the reasons include venue sizes,sport saturation,limited corporate $$, demand etc)

let's position ourselves in the world basketball landscape.

highly unlikely we will ever be a world powerhouse,although it could be argued, if we kept all our o/s players at home.
imagine having bogut,jackson and co in oz all year round.bums on seats wouldnt be a problem!

we certainly wouldnt be in the position we are now.

but we are...and i understand europe and america are'nt going any where real soon.

i feel our on-court product should be somewhere between NBL and ABA.
i recently went down to cairns and watched the marlins (ABA)play.
wow,i hadn't been to an ABA game for years.
the energy they played with ,diving on balls etc was certainly a breath of fresh air after the taipans debacle.
i saw 2 or 3 kids that can go to the next level,that to me, was so exciting.
there is no question in my mind where the NBL should be aimed.

i stated once before that an NBL gig must be the cruisiest gig going around the international circuit,with basically no demand on players other than to turn up and train/play.
the commitment to club/fans is minimal,swapping at will to who ever pays more/goes broke quicker.

try 4.5k fans @ $18 over 15 home games......






Reply #235063 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

Yeah, ABA is still an excellent level of competition. If the 36ers hibernate this off-season, I would like to see them replace the front page of their site (their call, obviously) with a list of ABL teams, when they play, and notable players (especially former and current 36ers/Lightning players involved).

4,500 people paying $18 is back in the 08/09 NBL. Works for some teams, but not for all, unless the league can very strictly police the cap. Run a league on either side of that kind of budget (4-5k+ at games in one tier, 2-3k watching a $500-700k team in the other) and I think you'll get basketball in front of more people.

Reply #235115 | Report this post




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