I think there could be a number of factors at play here. There was an interview recently (I think it was the PER-ADL game) where an NBL rep (?) spoke about the NBL future direction and mentioned Asia. The expansion into Singapore did not work and the I cringe a little bit if the NBL are planning teams out of Asia. The A-League does well to link itself with Asia due to the FIFA grouping and it works well, so the NBL could align itself along those lines if the deal was right. Who knows, The NBL might be giving priority to future NZ clubs over certain other teams to make it more of an Australasian feel.

An AFL club has the luxury of marketing its product with attendance of an average of 40,000 compared to an average of 4,000 to an NBL game. Budget wise, they can spread costs over more bodies. An operating budget to attendance ratio would be say $500/head vs say $750/head. With a Tassie NBL team, it needs to be well attended and well supported by businesses. The best businesses are ones with FMCG products as these can market to consumers. Nyrstar in Hobart or BHP Bliliton at Bell Bay are unlikely to sponsor. Tassel may be interested, or alternatively a National product is required. One which gets coverage on FTA TV. If the proposal had a lot of support from larger Tassie businesses, then it would be looked on favourably I would suggest.

Apart from cricket, I don't think Tasmania has any national teams (maybe field hockey) and I think that speaks volumes. It either means there is a massive opportunity for a team to get up and show some Tassie pride, or else there is a fundamental flaw with the market that other sports recognise and that needs to be addressed prior to a NBL team getting up.

When you cut to the chase, the difference between a lot of sports and basketball is that basketball is an indoor sport. I think that gets overlooked a lot of the time when it comes to the NBL. The marketing and operation of an indoor sport is very different to an outdoor sport.

Good points Jack, it does kind of make you wonder why the AFL and NRL haven't flirted with placing teams in Tassie.

The fundamental problem in Tassie is not just that its population is so small, but it is so spread out.
Tas has a population of around 500k, but only 200k live in Hobart, 100k in Launceston, and the rest spread around the place. A Team based in Hobart won't necessarily get full support.

The AFL teams only go to play in Tassie because the state government tip in money via sponsorship to both North Melb & Hawthorn.

Hawthorn - Tassie Tourism is Naming rights sponsor

North Melb - Hobart City Council/Spirit of Tassie

Otherwise they wouldn't play down in Tassie as it is effectively an AFL state anyway.

Dazz, 200k is more than Townsville or Cairns. Wollongong is listed as 290k.

I think expansion into smaller markets like Tassie only works where you have a TV network wanting more content and willing to pay for it. Otherwise I don't see that it adds much to the league.

No extra eyeballs by having a team in Tassie...all your doing is replacing one broke team (Crocs) with another soon to be broke team in Tassie!

sorry and Brissy soon to be broke*

(Plus Adelaide on league life support)

The problem was that no one in tassie is going to drive nearly 4hrs to see a game.

U name me another state where people do that?

You can't catch a train in tas

Actually the reason Hawthorn chose to play in Launceston is because it's geographically closer to a larger population not including Hobart. Hobart is quite isolated. If there was an AIS team that played home games all over the place that would gauge the places that could support NBL teams long term - e.g. games in Tasmania, Newcastle, Canberra, Albury (v Vic clubs), Darwin, Gold Coast (v Brisbane). 1-4 games at each venue per season isn't that unreasonable and it's something no other sports have the ability to do.

We regularly went to the Devils NBL games & still get to quite a few SEABL games. If the NBL are going to play silly buggers again, then stuff the basketball. I'll ditch it altogether. If they cant see outside their office window in Melbourne, then that'll be it for us.

^^ AFL teams require a larger supporter base than NBL teams, hence the fact that there have been numerous places (too many to name) that have supported NBL teams that don't have populations over a million. Also I don't know if you noticed but AFL is much more popular than basketball in Australia.

^^ AFL teams require a larger supporter base than NBL teams, hence the fact that there have been numerous places (too many to name) that have supported NBL teams that don't have populations over a million. Also I don't know if you noticed but AFL is much more popular than basketball in Australia.

@Curtley....the AFL teams only bother with Tassie due tot he funding/money they receive from government...its a commercial decision nothing to do with the fans at all.

Lets be frank the minute Tasmania stop sponsoring Hawthorn & North Melbourne they won't play games in Tassie.

It seems foolish to pass up the Tassie opportunity - there's enough of a population to warrant a team (especially as compared to other existing nbl markets), and also, Tassie's a pretty parochial supporter base, with a lot of kids moving to the mainland in their twenties - meaning that their away games are likely to attract Tasmanians living away from home as well. That's something that the Syd/Melb/Bris markets don't really offer compared to the smaller clubs. Either way, the league's pretty stagnant sitting at 8. Teams need to start coming from somewhere or the league's going to keep on sinking.

Professional sports / entertainment is all about business really. Sure it start with players wanting to test themselves and play againt the best from other centres but then the cost comes in and they won't play unless they get paid. As soon as players want payment everybody realises they also want payment, from the coach to the bloke who opens the stadium. So in the end the league might want a team in every town but it can't happen. Not becasue the league is no good, but because someone has to pay the bills.
Finaicial backers are not usually loking to give there moneyy away. They usually expect some type of return, either direct or indirect. Fans need to put their hand in their pocket to support the teams and to support thie sponsors.

My point was that tassie people are not going to drive from Hobart to Devonport say after a night game.

In vic u can just catch a train and make it back quick. In tas you would have to stay the night and go back the next day.

And you aren't going to do that just to see adam gibson are you?

"Dazz, 200k is more than Townsville or Cairns. Wollongong is listed as 290k."

Yes, yes it is, but all 3 of those are in perennial danger of closing.

For those dismissing the distances involved, you obviously don't understand Tasmania. You might as well tell Adelaide fans to support Melbourne, because by WA standards its not a long drive! LOL
It's not that people don't want to drive to Hobart, they happily will, to watch THEIR team play AGAINST the Hobart team!

"So Stewart blames the league for all the issues, but then finally admits he hasn't even got his ducks in a row due to a communication breakdown with his co-bidder. I'd say the NBL dodged a bullet there"

At the risk of stating the obvious, what we have here is simply another consequence of the NBL choosing to favour the "Marvin" model over the "Neill" model.

To be fair, Neill's model of community based teams playing in smaller venues has some merit. If they abolish Marquee players and high-priced imports, then with lower budgets it would presumably be easier for more teams to compete. But the problem then becomes what to do with the Wildcats, Breakers, and other "major city" teams that start to hit the same heights? There's only so much knobbling that the Salary & Points Caps can achieve.
Whilst not always true, many previous teams withdrew form the NBL after successive seasons of getting pummelled.
Also, whilst more teams is generally better for TV rights, the profitable audiences ARE in the major cities. Besides, who wants to watch an Australian BBL league, knowing that our best players are all in Uzbekistan because the money is better?
Lastly, they are many costs (especially travel) that are independent. Can a "community" based team really afford road trips to Perth, Adelaide, FNQ, and NZ?

Whilst I would love to see more teams in the NBL, we have to accept that major city teams are the backbone.

Tassie don't have the economy to really support it lets face facts.

they have employment issues/low growth rates in salary/property and no new capital being invested into the state let alone a bball team!

Dazz, actually, I think the marquee option is a good way to allow power teams to recruit studs without smaller teams instantly being discarded to the cellar. paul's idea of a reduced cap, but then a marquee player outside that cap might work. His plan had two marquee players, but for the sake of simplicity, imagine:

NZ spend $800k, then $300k on a blockbuster import.
Wollongong spend $800k, then $100k on Ervin.

That $200k difference might help the Hawks' bottom line, but the $300k import is not necessarily going to be three-times as effective as an Ervin or Wilson type.

Without that system, if you imagined a $1.1m cap, NZ might get a $100k import and load up on elite Tall Blacks and Boomers, depriving other teams.

Nobody wants to see the struggling teams fold, and I would love to see the NBL back to 14+ teams.
But new clubs have to be sustainable. Any application must be supported by a transparent business plan that shows where that money is going to come from, backed by hard numbers and guarantees.

The latest I heard (on the radio) was that the Bendat family will own the new Brisbane franchise! Why, I have no idea, maybe Paul is getting bored with Pokies and needs a new hobby. But that is exactly the kind of backing you need to get it off the ground and ensure it stays viable.

I'm not sure what the exact ownership structure of the Cats is, nor what is proposed for Brisbane. All I heard on the radio was "Bendat Family."
I think Paul is on the NBL board, so I'm assuming he might be involved.
At the end of the day, its better that the Franchise is owned by somebody with deep pockets, than by the NBL.