So there is a chance for the Lightning?

great to see the govt speaking up for bball !

Government support is needed.

Corporate wise, women's sport does not appear to get the sponsorship like mens sport (esp AFL) There could be a few reasons for that, and maybe the crowd demographics might play a part. Could be the personality of the sportswomen?

I am actually surprised because females are responsible for an average of 75% of household spending and so marketers love to broadcast their message in a female friendly way (when you watch a TV advert, the trick is to look for the hair color of the females. Blonde = male product. Brunette = female product). The FMCG products that tend to be involved with women's sport are those family type products, whereas every AFL club has a car sponsor (male type product)

It would be nice to see a swag of sponsors get on board and back the Lightning, but with so many things challenging the marketing budget, they can't expect sponsors to back a team playing to an empty stadium. Need to see something in the business plan to get the crowd numbers up so the marketing is going to more than the parents, siblings and boy/girl friends of the players.

Part of the problem with spectator numbers is the attitude we have as a general society. Male sportspeople can be adorned by both sexes. A female fan can take a selfie with a male basketballer, post it on Facebook and they are a "passionate, loyal fan". A male fan who takes a selfie with a female basketball, posts it on Facebook is a "creep". This was evident recently in Melbourne where a man took a selfie at a shopping centre in front of a Darth Vader poster. Some paranoid lady thought he was trying to take a photo of her kids and so took a photo of him and posted it to Facebook calling him a creep.

Crowds at the NBL and AFL appear to be roughly 55:45 males to females, crowds at the netball probably 20:80 male to female. Netball spectators appear to be "mums and daughters", or "a day out with the chicks". It might be an issue bigger than the Lightning, but I think the crowd demographics affects sponsorship more than what people think.

As a result, Government support is needed.

And all the mens teams are just rolling in it. The NBL doesn't make it either

We need to funk the WNBL up like netball has. This Saturday night the Netball comes to the Arena. Perhaps BSA and Clubs Premier Leagues could go and watch how they make it exciting enough to watch this boring less skilled game. If they can sell netball, surely they can sell basketball. We are just doing it wrong. OR are we women not as smart as we think we are and the majority are sucked in to the stereo types that having to be sexy or are the majority of women not smart enough and tough enough to play an altogether much smarter and demanding game that is basketball. I think it is both and I am a woman. Yes a woman on hoops folks..

IMO with the netball - there is a connection between the grassroots fans and the team. Would be interesting about crowd age %s, how many tickets and at what price. Also does the netball network talk it up rather than down ?

"Yes a woman on hoops folks.."

Well strike me down with a feather. We did have a women on hoops before, but it ended up being Isaac in drag.

it is important to have a lightning team -

offers our future talent something to strive for and look up at.

teams visit - use accommodation, Adelaide airport, meals, travel etc

any spectators will visit the state - I know of womens basketball fans from the states that have called in here for big games.

involves media activity local and national.

yes we know that you won't be a millionaire from it - but there is more to life than $.

what about the love of sport, competition, representing the city / state, playing on a national level ?

Maybe there are some new investors that can see beyond the $ what the sport brings to adelaide

Womens basketball is not competeing with netball but it is interesting to compare the numbers and mix of crowds.
Could be that netball is seen as safe - it is a female "only" area. ( as indicated by the percentage of males in the crowds) (Men going to netball are either family (or boyfriends) of players or they "must be a pervert".)Men at netball are way out numbered and so women and girls feel safe.
So mums take their daughters to the netball, hence the high pitch squeals in the crowd.
Mums don't take their daughters to the basketball. Its usually Dad's or whole families, but then if the whole family is going to go to the basketball they isually decide to go to the mens games which are faster, have higher profile players and all the razz a matazz!

ha - if you only knew !

If necessary, should be subsidised by state body (BSA), government (sponsorship) or by men's team (where possible). Might not be lucrative but it's healthy and creates a positive opportunity for female players.

For all the talk of needing 10x $15k sponsors, I was surprised that no one emailed me about publicising the requests and opportunities on Hoops - might achieve little, but it'd be free to try. Only real press otherwise has been Boti.

I would've been keen to see more of women driving the future of the Lightning - or was there more behind the scenes? There was a male consultant acting pro bono I think and male BSA CEO? No group of ex-players publicly pushing for support or calling past sponsors?

I like that the Wildcats have taken on Perth's WNBL team - that's very positive.

good point isaac - yes they should be getting it out there on hoops as well - every little bit helps

would love to see some sponsors from the real estate / property management sector get involved - the profits and sales going on in this area have never been bigger.

or any car importer / producer from overseas - there is a huge car market here and we aren't / won't be making many cars here soon - so they would be good to get on board (i.e. AFL teams have fiat, renault, hyundai, mazda, toyota etc) surely a $10k sponsorship would be well within their capacity ?

Need to get the crowds and sponsorship flows from there. Start off with government backing and work from there.

what about the people that benefit - i.e. transport, accommodation, travel, meals - surely some interest / backing (doesn't have be thousands of $)

that maybe short term - think back to 98 - there was more than 200 in king william st o/s the town hall for the parade

your argument is just $ - what about the sport, the juniors, the role models, the involvement - just cause you didn't have $500,000 at birth did not stop you from aspiring for a home ??

the 1995 grand final - got a few more than 200 - try 7,100 - so don't talk it down - think you will find the game attendance is a bit better than that as well. talk it up not down.

there are things that turns voters away from the govt as well - without action. You can't please everybody.
Oh well, at least the pandas are ok and we have a nice footbridge to go to the football - when another 2 are only a few 100 metres away.....- bad luck about any future sport ambitions in womens basketball.

and how many have returned or had the lightning involved in their pathway - heaps