IN exciting news for South Australian basketball, the Basketball SA’s Premier League will be moving under the NBL’s NBL1 banner going forward, barring any last-minute roadblocks from teams clubs signing on the dotted line.
The plans will rebrand the league as NBL1 Central, and will include specific ‘match of the round’ games to be broadcast on Australian sports streaming giant Kayo.
Vice president of Central District Basketball Club, Kevin Fischer, said this is a significant step in the right direction, and will put South Australian basketball on the national radar.
“Because the league is going to be patched under (the NBL), there are some flow-on benefits from that,” he said.
“Does that NBL teams will be playing in Gawler – probably not – but what it does mean is now the competition is tiered within the second-highest level in Australia, just below the NBL.”
NBL chief operating officer Andy
Crook complemented the way South
Australia was able to push these new developments through quickly, after talks
were initially for the changeover to occur in 2021.
“These are exciting times for South Australian basketball and the NBL,” he said.
“We applaud Basketball South Australia and the clubs for embracing the opportunity to launch NBL1 Central in 2020.
“Huge credit also needs to be given to Basketball South Australia and the Basketball Adelaide Board for collectively leading this change process and for sharing the NBL’s vision for NBL1.”
The NBL1 Central’s inaugural season is set to kick off on Saturday, March 14, with Central District scheduled to host its first home game at 8.15pm at STARplex the following Saturday, March 21.