just let LK take ownership of the entire league already!! Plus, what difference does it make whether the Boomers are located at Parkville or Geelong?

Interesting - I'd like to see NBL takeover WNBL and see more alignment - see if they can find efficiencies like resourcing, digital infrastructure, see if they can use it to get sponsors across both leagues plus NBL1 and juniors to broaden the value proposition and demographic reach. Maybe that extends into the broadcast rights arena eventually too.

And then ofcourse there’s alignment with things like a potential gather round.

There's so much to be done behind the scenes to bring this to fruition in time for next season, but I'm getting mostly positive vibes from the snippets I'm hearing so keep your fingers crossed everyone.

Since every day matters, everyone should also get behind the Lynx to sweep the GF series 2-0, thus allowing 100% focus to be on next season with minimal delay ;)

The location of the Boomers is a massive deal when it comes to broadcast deals, that would be a major sticking point.

If you only have the one team in Melbourne it'll be impossible to get Kayo/ESPN to have a broadcast deal, which is what they’re after (same as NBL). If Kestelman is in talks to buy the league, he wouldn’t allow only one Melbourne franchise if it can be avoided.

On next season - there’s rumours flying around that A LOT of players are moving to Europe to chase the $$. The league may be missing almost all of their big names next year.

BigD - where are these rumuors coming from? and what players?

On next season - there's rumours flying around that A LOT of players are moving to Europe to chase the $$. The league may be missing almost all of their big names next year.

LK will want to align all teams or atleast most of them in a few years if he takes it over.

Bendigo ain't gonna survive, Tassie license surely.
Canberra will likely have a future men’s team, so they should be fine.
The rest already are aligned apart from

-Cairns/townsville
-Brisbane/no brisbane, easy fix
-Nz/no nz
-illawarra/no Illawarra

I think the aim might be 10 teams for a while before nz and Illawarra come in.

Yeah, I'm not sure if they're included in the immediate expansion plans but it would be great to get NZ back in the league.

Brisbane already have a team coming don't though? Although latest I heard is that was delayed as well.

One of the local podcasts was hyping up the prospects of a women's NZ team play in the comp. Hopefully that would mean the league is run more professionally though. Some long flights, especially to and from Perth!

Expansion plans were for Brisbane and Newcastle but that was years ago.

Lynx arent aligned with the Wildcats . The license was given back to BWA by Bendat due to their viability a few years ago. Hutchy should have bought that license back when he bought the Wildcats but bought the Bendigo Spirit instead because of his strong country Victoria roots and didnt want to see them go under.Could have potentially had a NBL Game 3 semi and a WNBL Game 2 GF at RAC Arena on the same if they had both.

Aligned by location.

Hearing the Geelong venture is not going to happen.

Also, Geelong does not align with a possible NBL takeover model so cannot see it working unless LK starts a Geelong NBL franchise.

I too am hearing a plethora of WNBL stars are looking to head to Europe post Olympics.

Newcastle are still keen, but it's contingent on a replacement for Broadmeadow Stadium being built, and that's currently a bureaucratic mess.

Geelong venture is indeed not happening.

Now up to 5 teams might be handing back their licence in boycott of BA running the league.
This is becoming such a mess.

Forcing the hand of BA who are incompetent.

It really is getting messy for BA...

Any decent reporting on this anywhere?

Lynx arent aligned with the Wildcats . The license was given back to BWA by Bendat due to their viability a few years ago. Hutchy should have bought that license back when he bought the Wildcats but bought the Bendigo Spirit instead because of his strong country Victoria roots and didnt want to see them go under.Could have potentially had a NBL Game 3 semi and a WNBL Game 2 GF at RAC Arena on the same if they had both.

So... have Southside got a game 3 push in them? I kinda suspect not, but hope so, coz more basketball.

All WNBL clubs not interested in BA revamp of league.

It's really saying something for all eight clubs to boycott BA having anything to do with the league.

"As it stands right now, I'm told that the Melbourne Boomers are out (of the WNBL competition) for next year"
- Shane Heal


--


WNBL also posted today that the free agency period officially starts on 10/5/24

out completely Luuuc? Or now Geelong?

I don't see anything about this on the WNBL or BA websites that I can link to (shock), but the Pick & Roll tweeted this update today:

I also saw that post from TP&R and can't find the statement anywhere else. Perhaps it was distributed to media outlets, and they've published before the WNBL/BA got their shit together? (shock)

LK has a lot of bargaining power with WNBL clubs giving BA an ultimatum. This is pure conjecture, but I imagine he's offered effectively zero capital for controlling interest in the league. Neither factor of which would sit well with BA given they're clinging to relevancy.

I'll be interested to learn what sort of capital they can raise for a product that will lose money for 5-10 years at a minimum. At least a LK-owned WNBL could consolidate resources with NBL franchises and/or the league office.

Sounds like a step in the right direction

Seems like they still want to keep majority ownership and decision making control, but want others to subsidise it for them?!

Probably unlikely to happen, but it'd be great if they were able to attract investors who are already involved in women's bball, such as WNBA ownership groups or current /former players (similar to how NBA players have bought stakes in NBL teams). Imagine if WNBA power couple Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor (or one/some of the cashed up young stars such as Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese!) bought a minority stake!

older players may have some $ but newer ones still establishing themselves and getting set up. Would be multiple leagues looking for investors.

how much are they trying to raise? So LK is keen to absorb the WNBL but pay nothing and run under the NBL banner? What assurances has he given?

If BA let go of the wnbl then they would have to lay off quite a few people. Those at the top would also see big hits to salaries.
These people still think the nbl being sold to lk was a mistake.

Would they though?
Have you seen how low the number of people they actually employ for the WNBL?

WNBL is dead, - More local players to head off overseas next season.

Time to consider NBL1 women becoming the premier competition by gaining EOI's from 2-3 clubs in each state to form a Super League and build from there.

Or kestleman creates nbl (women/men) and let BA fail with wnbl.

Yeah, exactly. What's to stop LK starting his own women's league?

Limited to no Financial benefit for LK Group to join the men/women competitions. WNBL needs to be a Non-profit set up, even playing field in terms of player budgets and share expense as much as possible. Any profit from commercial sponsorship after expenses invested back into the league. Must be run at a worst case breakeven every year.

The WNBL as a competition is the longest running professional league for women (regardless of what that looked like at the start) in Australia, you would hope they'd be able park their egos enough to work out how to keep it going.

Quokka, you cracked me up on that last one. Love your optimism.

That's what I think needs to happen not necessarily what I think will happen. Honestly, for how big a grass roots sport basketball has become it surprises me how insular it is at every level (club, nbl1, BA etc). No idea how you'd even attempt to fix that.