Isaac
Years ago
Logan Thunder join the WNBL
SEQ BACK IN WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE
South East Queensland is set to make a return to the Australian Defence Force Women's National Basketball League after a break of 10 years.
Brisbane-based basketball association Logan Thunder has won the new license and subject to certain sponsorship assurances and achieving financial milestones required by Basketball Australia they will be suiting up to play in September 2008.
Basketball Australia Chief Executive Scott Derwin said the new franchise would play a key part in making the Australian Defence Force WNBL a truly national championship.
"As Australia's third largest city and the country's fastest growing region it was essential that Brisbane and South East Queensland were once again represented in the national competition," Mr. Derwin said.
"We have been in talks with Logan Basketball for the past 18 months and have been impressed with their enthusiasm and professional efforts to get a team up and running.
"At this point we have granted them a conditional license only and their entry into the competition will be dependent on them reaching certain financial milestones.
"We understand it has been difficult for them to sign sponsors when they didn't even have a license to play.
"Now they have an official letter to say they are in the competition if sponsorship backing is forthcoming."
Ex-National Basketball League star and Australian Boomer Mark Dalton has been the prime mover and shaker behind the bid.
Dalton, a 432 game NBL veteran, with 92 games for the National Team, has been appointed General Manager of the team to be known as Logan Thunder.
"It has been a goal of mine for the past seven years to see a new women's team playing out of Brisbane," Dalton said.
"I have been involved with junior basketball here in Brisbane for a number of years and the female talent that is coming through is truly exciting.
"Unfortunately, since 1998 they have had to leave town to play on a WNBL team.
"We are the world champions in women's basketball, Lauren Jackson is the best player in the world and basketball is booming, yet one of the largest cities in the country wasn't represented in the national competition."
The Logan Thunder will play their inaugural season at the Insport Stadium at Cornubia in Brisbane's south before moving to a new $18million state of the art complex at Browns Plains for the start of the 2009 season.
Logan Mayor Graham Able said the Thunder's inclusion in a national women's competition was one of the biggest sporting announcements ever to be made in the city.
"We have backed the Thunder consortium in their bid from day one and the new Metro Stadium's design had already been upgraded to handle Thunder's expected entry into the WNBL," he said.
"I suppose in a way we gambled on them going into the competition, but we knew the strength of the bid just couldn't be ignored.
"It's wonderful for the city of Logan to have a national sporting team identity and I am sure we will draw capacity crowds to the Metro Stadium to support them in 2009."
Logan Thunder WNBL is a not for profit community based organisation.
A naming rights sponsor, coaches, team logo and colours will be unveiled in the near future.
That makes three new teams added to the league in one year - will be tough for them to find talent, surely?
