The same contributor has posted on Hoops SA and OzHoops. Karen Phillips wrote an article mentioning this consortium in The Independent Weekly the week before last. I put up an OCRed version of the text somewhere.

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any link to poster donny4donny who seems to be everywhere telling everyone his mates want to buy the sixers??

Doc Dunk, tend to agree with you. If the consortium was 100% interested in buying the 36ers, then why wouldn't you come out punching in the media etc etc and not try to play shadow games.

If a consortium went public with the news, they would get huge support. Seems stupid to cover it up that there is an interested party wanting to buy the 36ers.

You would think someone from this consortium if passionate would be reading this thread. A perfect place to validate this rumour.

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Yeah Isaac, I see your point, but if I was interested in the purchase I would be making the whole of SA aware that I WANTED to buy the 36ers. Talking to more media outlets, and actually big noteing the fact that I wanted to buy the 36ers.

This consortium would have a pretty big support to attempt a take over... I would support the attempt.

I am unable to give any information regarding the talks with the 36ers.

All I can say is that the way that there is no way that a deal will be made with this group and the 36ers if they (BASA) continue to deal the way they are with this group.

Also with the sixers cost cutting this season (not paying Farley nor spending their entire slaray cap) they will not get season ticket holders buying tickets this year, thus making the sixers an even worse investment then they are now.

I would have thought that less season ticket holders would devalue the Sixers making them cheaper to buy, thus making them an even more attractive investment as the cost v potential woule be more favourable.

If this potential buyer out there is really interested its time to show your cards as all the rumours are becoming tiresome.

Statman, Agree with your post. I think the important thing to remember is if that someone does buy the 36ers then the potential for growth and $$$ earnt is huge. I believe that the 36ers have a bigger upside than downside.

They have a great stadium, ok, a little dirty, shitty food, and a big debt (which the price of the 36ers may cover, thus BASA could rent the stadium to the consortium earning BASA money), but it can be improved bigtime. This improvment would help drag more people into the place (= more money), more people buying better quality food (= more money).

The team, I don't care what people say, but players like Farley attract spectators, players like Brett attract spectators, players like Dusty attract spectators, a good quality 36ers TEAM attracts spectators. Phil's system is attractive to watch and players want to play in that system. Oh gee, that means better players want to play for the 36ers which equals more spectators which equals more money.

If the consortium followed some of the suggestions that have been posted on this forum to improve home games then they would be snacking on a cash cow. Stuff like better valued season tickets, ticket packages (NBA style), entertainment etc etc helps brings in spectators and cash.

It would be interesting to see the consortiums business plan, and future direction forecast if they did buy the 36ers.

That's my bitch and moan for the night, should actually go and do some work now............

The most BASA would get for the 36ers is around 1.5 mil.

In a good year the club makes $150,000.

Ten "good" years and the group would make their money back.

All but one NBL club is losing money, and the 36ers are not the profitable one.

Would it be easy for the 'syndicate' to get the 36ers to make decent money and be a viable investment without a huge TV deal?

Without FTA and decent media exposure it must be very hard to get huge sponsorship and lets face it the sponsorship is where the money is. The ticket sales aren't what make the big money.

Do the New York Knicks make the money to pay their $100 million pay roll from selling out Madison Square Garden? No, it is from the sponsorship, the luxury suites, the TV deals, etc. I think Mark Cuban said that any NBA team can make money unless they actually care about winning.

Sure huge improvements can be made to the 36ers but if the syndicate was serious about making money then I question whether there would be any benefits for the fans or would we be like the Perth Wildcats under Vlahov shifting home games overseas with a roster even cheaper than the 36ers at present.

What we would really be hoping for is a group of wealthy people who don't have a problem with putting their money earnt from their successful businesses into ensuring the 36ers have a great on-court product like Groves in Brisbane.

Also, I have heard that the 36ers currently make money but it is the rest of the BASA including the Lightning that runs at a loss.

If the 36ers were sold would this mean a stronger BASA and Lightning or would it only be short term gain from the proceeds of the sale with the realisation that BASA has lost its biggest money maker forever?

I have been told that the sixers regularly hand over cheques reresenting their annual profit to BASA of 1 mill plus.

According to the audit the Lightning cost 600k plus to run per annum and BASA loses the rest.

I still can not see how BASA manages to lose so much money and does not even honour its debts.

Most courts are full every night of the week and at $7.50 per player the money aint going to the refs.

Where the hell is the cash going????

I still can not work out why they borrowed $1 mill to renovate/ build Wayville when the showgrounds are a privatley owned company.....why are they borrowing money to improve someone elses asset???

Long time over due for some business people to get involved instead of admin beaurucrats with nothing more than sausage sizzle sales expertise.

I bloody wish someone would buy the sixers/BASA out! Maybe then we could get some people in who are passionate about basketball rather the aussie dollar!

Why the hell don't the sixers try simple types of marketing? you don't have to spend big bucks to get your message across, cheap ads are avaliable and something is better than nothing!

Look at Adelaide United! They are everywhere! Join up now, this much for kids etc etc.
No doubt they will be getting 10,000 to their damn games! Why? Because they are PASSIONATE about the sport!

Why am I so pissed off! Because last night i had a great chat to an ex-sixer i bumped into and he rammed home some truths for me that made me really think long and hard if im going to be giving these pricks my money next season!!

Kriss, without identifying the source, what kind of info was passed on?

Last anonymous poster: a consortium cannot put together a business plan or ascertain the value of the club without seeing recent financial figures.

So for that reason, it's not worth dealing with them professionally? Haven't heard of any other consortiums looking to buy. Have you?

The most logical option I have came up with is if the board of the 36ers lobby the treasure department to allow the BASA/36ers an alternative way of reducing its debt or for them to council it. The government are not going wipe the debt off so that is not an option, with the good relations the 36ers and lightning have made with companies in china (Asian countries) the most logical thing that should happen would be to try and strike a deal with the SA government by asking them to reduce the loan for every product that is potentially exported to Asian countries. The sixers could also act as state ambassadors whilst on playing tours of Asia, this will increase the exposure of South Australia as well as help the promotion of South Australia for businesses or business opportunities for any potential investor, South Australia would hold many opportunity to Asian countries and the sixers could act as a broker to land some deals. Just another way of paying of the debt

Hand the damn keys to the Dome back to the government. What is the worse thing that can happen if they call the bluff - the sixers play out of the entertainment centre or ETSA park. Norwood and Woodville have to find/share another stadium, a few social teams have to go elsewhere. OK, I know it's not that simple but someone needs to show some balls and/or initiative

So the South Australian government don't have a right to ask the basketball association to re-pay the loan of $10,500,000 and that's not withstanding the interest that has been accumulated over 15 years?


What sort of rental cost do you think the state government are going to ask for if BASA do hand back the keys as you so eloquently put it? ETSA Park and the Entertainment Centre are both owned by the South Australian government, BASA would be in the same predicament as they are now. They (BASA or even the new owners if they sold the 36ers) would still have high cost for tickets to cover the newly acquired debt of stadium rental.

BASA have to show some initiative thought on how they can over come that debt hanging over their head, instead of running at a lost and then alienating the biggest asset they have, the supporter base and potentially losing the highest money earner for the organization, the sixers them self.

The point of handing the keys back means that the government have a decision to make - they either wipe the loan and "repossess" the dome which effectively gives them a useless asset and sparks an uproar within the basketball community - or they give more exemptions/grants to BASA to help them and basketball out and enable them to pay back the loan. Even better they wipe the debt altogether - after all they must have known that ETSA Park, the ent centre and the dome all in the same town was never going to be feasible. Or didn't they know this - if not fix the mistake.

Or the government could allow the dome to "compete" for concerts and other events say extra revenue could be raised. (seeing as the ent centre is now profitable as far as I know?)

a while ago on this forum, a discussion went in a similar direction, and i think Isaac said that BASA receives $250,000 for not holding events (competition for the entertainment centre). Would they be able to make more than that, for it to be worth while?

My point is that it is hard to make money with a multimillion dollar asset that can only be effectively used less than 20 times a year

Why doesnt the government bring in an administrator to hopefully show BASA how the business should be run

Think about some precedents in other sports.

1. Hindmarsh Stadium - supposed to charge levy to repay loan but decide not to do it - result Government caves in and soccer flourishes.

2. How much to cycling pay for the velodrome - $0 might be close.

3. Pines Hockey stadium  built by government and supposed to be maintained by sport. Guess what happened when surface needed to be replaced!!

4. Athletics Stadium  enough said.

5. Netball  supposed to have all games in centre rather than it parklands to help with cost  but you guessed it Government had no spine when push came to shove.

6. Shooters Park  owned by government (and that's a high participation sport  not)

7. And while we are at it who paid for the super screen at footy park?

8. Who is meeting cost of new swimming/diving complex?


It just needs some equity amongst the sports!!!