Shane may put his hand up to be the savior but lets hope to blazes he doesn't.

The NBL for a number of years now have been really lacking in publicity. I think currently without a major league sponsor, and having made public comments about the financial standing of the league, this is why we are seeing very little publicity for the league.

Boti has a 2-page spread in todays 'Tiser, discussing the state of the NBL and a brief rundown of each team for the coming season.

My question is even though Boti gets a 2-page spread in there, do non-NBL fans actually read it? Also any word on if 9 have jumped back on board this season?

I think awareness in Adelaide isn't terrible. For one thing, existing 36ers fans would be fairly aware and I believe that season ticket sales are up a bit on last year. Non-fans are harder to reach but as long as ticket sales are up, I'm not too worried about Adelaide.

The problems are probably more noticeable in Sydney.

Perhaps the league could have some luck if they really pushed the starting date in a memorable way. e.g., the AFL's 'Septobia'.


Bizzy, there would be heaps of people who would follow the 36ers via Boti's articles but not go to games. Invaluable publicity and always errs on the side of positivity which won't hurt at this time of the season.

And I'm pretty sure that the show on Ch 9 will continue in some form this season.

The Sixers profile in Adelaide is remarkably good when compared to other states, Boti's pre-game previews and post-game reports are incisive and thoughtful most importanly original when compared to the generic or almost non existant reporting in other states. I think the crowds will return this season.

Seeing Brisbane are the current World Australian champions, I haven't heard anything up here about the NBL other than what is on Foxtel and on HoopsSA/OzHoops.
Last year they had buses with pictures of Mick Hill and CJ etc on them. I haven't seen them or the big billboard posters this year.
(They probably got rid of the Mick Hill ones 'cause they didn't want to scare of the girls)

Agreed Sturty - Having Mick Hill in front of a bus would however be a positive IMO ;)

On the Coast the Blaze are advertising quite heavily on NBN (reginal Channel 9) and have some ads running in the paper plus Sea FM are a major sponsor and are pushing the new team a fair bit on air with the players. In saying that and as Isaac said before - getting non-fans to take notice is another story completely - I was out on the weekend and a few people I mentioned the Blaze to said - "yeah we have heard about them........what are they again?"

First game this Wednesday night - all the press is saying its going to be close to a sell out - whether or not that is just marketting hype however Im not sure. Should be a good game in the new venue and im very much looking forward to it :)

You are only going to get people who are interested in basketball regardless of what advertising you do.

I don't give a rat's ring about Rugby Union or Soccer
therefore I wouldn't have a clue who's playing and when.

Look after the supporters we have properly first then worry about getting others.

Winning is the only way you will attract new people to come have a look.

The NBL needs to think its promotion through properly.
Hell, they can't even get the start of the season right.
In the two largest population centres it is grand final season. Nobody outside of basketball fans is going to be vaguely interested in anything else other than footy.
And lets face it, the NBL needs new fans desperately.
The NBL competition is going to be at least three weeks in before all the winter sports conclude.
There's a window of a couple of weeks between cricket and football where alternative sports get a look in. And there's plenty of gaps between games in the cricket season to give basketball some headline space.
I work as an editor of a paper, and it's damn hard to get the NBL to respond to much at all and I'm pro-basketball.
I'm not quite sure how it works there but there seems to be very little planning.
A smart PR person can get the sport column inches by generating story opportunities.
I hope we aren't seeing the end of professional basketball in this country.
I'm not sure if expanding to Asia can even save it.

the lack of advertising in brisbane could come down to the fact that they know the fans will come back and pack the stadium. they may feel that their money could be better spent than on marketing. that would be an enviable position to be in. probably isn't the case, but may be a possibility

I think this thread has answered my question, people outside of the bball community aren't aware the season is starting.

Qlder, I agree they need to look after existing fans better but saying that only basketball fans will take notice of advertising is rubbish. Sure we will notice the advertising more but we need to get those people who aren't as passionate as us but have a vague interest to come along to a few games each season.

The challenge is getting people there in the first place. If you can get bums on seats, the people there will see that we have a pretty good product and often a great atmosphere. Therefore, they'll come back.

The NBL needs bigger crowds to survive. Basically, the league probably needs to go a few steps backwards to go a lot of steps forward. Heavy advertising, cheaper tickets and more entertainment at games will get people there. Once you've got the people there it makes it easier to keep them coming back.

I've said it in posts a while back but we need more entertainment at games. Not necessarily stuff that will cost a whole lot. I remember the Beach Volleyball at the Olympics being a fantastic atmoshpere (I'm not the biggest volleyball fan) simply because they had a great MC who got the crowd doing all sorts of waves (slow motion and fast forward waves) and plenty of other things to get the crowd going. Simple stuff, but generally very effective. None of this big band stuff at half time, doesn't get the crowd going!

Clubs don't have the budgets for a whole lot of entertainment. I'm not unhappy for them to stick to fairly safe and simple options and leave the rest to the game.

Take AFL for an example - half-time is kids running around. From memory, the same goes for A-League (you can barely see the cheerleaders from your seats). Went to a rugby game in Auckland and can't even remember what they had at half-time - not much of note I don't think.

Were NBL teams doing much more at the height of the league? I doubt it.

Just more fans, and in a place like Adelaide, they're out there - they've just fallen off the wagon a bit. Good competition and good pricing will bring a few back.

The problem seems to be mostly Sydney - you have the Kings with average crowds and the battling Pigs (who I can't see getting big numbers this year). Add to that rare media coverage and expensive advertising and you have trouble.

The fact that the Sixers have excellent prices for children is a great move to get fans to the games in the future. When children grow up with a family tradition of going to regular basketball games, they are likely to continue that into adulthood. One way to try and ensure that, is to make it affordable for families today to take their whole family. Its good that the club has recognised this and acted accordingly. Its not unusual to see at the games whole families from grandparents right down to babies.

Definitely right there EC - I remember going to 36ers games with my parents many years ago. Talked with someone interstate recently whose love of the game began when her often-absent-through-work father started taking her to games as a way of spending time with her.

Valid point Isaac. Other sports don't necessarily have a lot of entertainment. But that is where the NBL can set its product apart. Not everything they do has to cost a whole lot, just a good MC, bring back the big blow-up basketball to throw round the crowd. Simple things but they get the crowd into the game right from the start.

Dunno if I agree about the NBL not having entertainment at the height of the league. I've been a season ticket holder for 16 years now and I remember there being a fair bit of razzle dazzle associated with going to games. My memory is not great but for one I remember the 'Dunk team' they had at half time who used to jump off trampolines and do flips before dunking it.

I know money is the issue. This is why the NBL and the Sixers need to think outside the square and come up with some cheap ideas that are still entertaining. As I've stressed, not all entertainment has to be expensive.

The dunk team didnt get paid for many years but towards the end got about $20 each per performance. Very cheap!

The Scream Team that performs at Bullets games is very, very good. Have said before on this forum that the NBL and clubs should co-operate to have them tour stadiums a couple of times a year.