I also think that a very important point is the fact that all the players are involved in the community in some form or other. Look at Greg Hire, who was nominated for a national award for his community work. He being a local boy also gives strength to the popularity of the team.

The Wildcats have developed and held a strong following for over 30 years. During that time there has been no BBL competition for the City's heart. They're not a local team that went national, they were established as THE state team, and have remained so. They haven't come and gone, they haven't merged and de-merged.

They have always done a good job of attracting and retaining talent to become naturalised. You talk about "5 American Players," that's nothing. I remember the days when Grace, Crawford, and Fisher ALL played as naturalised Australians, complemented by imports such as Lichti and Michaels.

They HAVE, for most of their history, benefited from deep-pocketed owners. During the 90's it was Kerry Stokes, and for the last decade or so it has been Jack Bendat. That has helped them stay strong through the lean years.

The Eagles are the number one team in WA, but they've had a waiting list for memberships for the last decade. The teams don't directly compete, but for a family that could only afford one season membership, not being able to get an Eagles ticket makes the decision easy. Similarly for corporate boxes.
Also, Subiaco Oval is a ____hole. The seats at Perth Arena aren't exactly luxurious, but it beats paying for "PREMIUM" seats at Subi and sitting on wooden slats.

They have done a fantastic job of marketing. What started as "hey, wear red to the game," has become "The Red Army." Not only is their tremendous loyalty, but of course if you're going to wear red, might as well buy MERCHANDISE.

The Wildcats have worked hard to look after Fans, even at the new Arena. We complained about the queues for refreshments, and The Arena doubled the tills, we complained about the heat, they turned up the aircon, we complained about the lights, and they changed them.

The Arena IS a good venue, and it has great location. Its easy to get to, plenty of parking, an easy walk from the Central train station, plenty of bars to go to after the game, etc. And yes, the Friday night games are perfect for people to come to from work in the city.
And yes, Sunday afternoons in Perth's summer, sitting in the comfort of the Arena is preferable to baking in the sun.

Perth is a big rich city (approaching 2M) to be supporting only one team, and that's how it works here. There's never been any other NBL teams, and there's nobody (local) who sits in the "Love NBL but hate The Wildcats" camp.

And the fact is, when you consider how freaking expensive it is to live in this city, Cats tickets aren't that bad. One of the pluses of the Arena is that it allows the Cats to release cheaper tickets (for the nosebleed sections.)

And yes, being the most successful team in the league sure helps. What is also great for the locals is that our distance and isolation creates a strong home-court advantage. So even in not so great years, they will still win most games at home, which the crowds love.

What I get from this is that no other NBL team can actually copy the Wildcats system or process to achieve their level of success and durability...

Well, that about does it for NBL expansion then!

There is also a firm basketball culture in Perth stemming from the golden age 90s.

Perth has always been isolated and when Bball was booming in the 90s many kids paid more attention to the NBA and basketball in general than any other sport.

Our domestic league are constantly filled with social players and their is a massive undercurrent of die hard basketball fans.

WA is basketball country.

But for a long time these fans shunned the NbL for its lack of talent.

Families have brought the wildcats back to prominence and with the steady improvement in talent Perth's basketball savvy underbelly is slowly showing its head again.

Basketball and its culture is massive here. But great management and a bit of luck has kep the wildcats afloat.

Sounds like Dazz is on the money to me. Another thing is that Perth never seem to have spent so extravagantly that they threatened their survival, but have consistently looked to serve their fans, get their marketing right, etc. Other clubs are routinely too rash and burn out, or too miserly and project cheapness or frustrate fans.

Nick Marvin is the decision maker and controller.
He has seen off many people on his quest

The Cats were very savvy in their last years at Challenge. They knew that the Arena was coming, so they put a lot of effort into building their brand, and even pre-sold "Arena Memberships."

But yes, overall The Arena is a pretty good venue. I don't know about other cities, but the biggest problem with Challenge was that it was in the middle of nowhere. Nothing to do before or after the game, and practically no public transport. In those days my wife and I can seats that included booze, but one of us always had to drive. I still usually drive to The Arena, and stick to one or no beers, but it is almost perfectly located to the central train station.

I don't really know enough about other cities to say whether they could combine the same ingredients.
Like Melbourne, BBL is popular in Perth. Winter in Perth is cold, so athletic sports are fine, and most serious BBL is now played indoors. I Don't know but I would expect levels of support to be potentially similar in Adelaide? But of course Adelaide is smaller and has a lot less money floating around.
I can't understand why Brisbane fans aren't screaming for the Bullets to be brought back, but maybe BBL just isn't as BIG there.

Sydney has been baffling NBL theorists for decades. The biggest city in the country, and they can barely turn out to support one team. Perhaps Union, League, and Soccer are just too big there.

Theoretically Melbourne should be able to support at least two teams in a similar way. But as I understand it, you still have a lot of people with allegiances to former NBL and now SEABL teams, and many still see "United" as "The Tigers." Perth has never had that problem.

You also can't underestimate the impact of just having one team, unchallenged, that is accepted as representing the whole city. When WA finally entered a team in the NSL, Perth Glory gained widespread support because it was a new team, free of history, that was seen to represent everyone.
Simple fact is, that if you're from Perth and you love NBL, then you support the Wildcats. The problem you have in Melbourne (and even Sydney) is that as long as there is even a chance of another team, some fans won't support United. Then, if you do introduce a "South-Eastern" teams, there will be those from the Western suburbs who think they should have a team as well.

And longevity is important. Wildcats support is well and truly into its second generation, and working on the third. I have adult children who are now avid supporters.

Big city that only has one of NRL/AFL is also a factor.

It's a huge factor. People who aren't super wealthy and want to buy a membership for a sports team will generally only pick one to financially support, and it's hard for basketball to compete with those codes. Local companies who want to sponsor a team will only pick one, generally, as well. You're also competing for the affection of your populace in terms of cultural relevance. Public funding, too.

People generally will support one local code more than the other, so if there's less competition it's easier for basketball to get a foothold. Kids normally have a favourite sport team. They will have all the gear, go to the games, watch it on TV every time, etc.

"How is competition from winter sport teams a factor?"

It's a big factor in three ways.

Firstly, BBL IS a winter sport for everyone but the NBL, so for juniors and families there is direct competition. If your kids play BBL, more chance the family will support The Wildcats.

Secondly, if your family can only afford one season membership, you would generally have to chose. Less choice in Perth because you can't get Eagles memberships due to the capacity of Subi oval.

Thirdly, there is the competition for the corporate dollar, and similar restrictions apply.

Another issue, which factors into the wider support of BBL in WA, is probably similar to how it has enjoyed strong support in small cities like Townsville and Cairns.
The weather in northern WA is extremely hot, and not easily tolerated by new families. Grassy ovals are not easily maintained and playing footy during the day is tough. Outdoor sports are often played at night, when the bugs can exsanguinate you. Most sizeable (mining) towns have aircond rec centres where BBL can be played indoors.
(Legendary Eagle Dean Cox actually played BBL in Dampier as a junior.)

SERIOUS WGAF Perth. Yo'veu have advantages across the board over the last 15 - 20 years which has paid off for you all. Great, be humble and stop with the FIGJAM. Many other clubs and staff could have done the same if they had the same advantages so just shut up about it all already and maybe everyone will just go Well done Perth instead of Hating on you all.... No one loves a Big Head !

But of course Adelaide is smaller and has a lot less money floating around.

I think it would only impact overall volume, ie: it would take proportionately greater support to generate the same volume. But then the AA can only seat 8,000 so the point's moot.

Brings up an interesting point. SHOULD an NBL team have its "OWN" large stadium?
The Perth Arena was designed with BBL in mind, but also Tennis (Hopman Cup). concerts, and theatrical productions. I think it would be fair to say that it derives most of its revenue from acts other than The Wildcats.

The Perth Arena was designed with BBL in mind