SEABL and Big V are not in competition. The sooner the board and management of the Big V realise this and stop posting on forums the better.

The biggest competition for second (SEABL) and third tier (State Leagues) basketball is players choosing Football/Netball and spectators (at SEABL level) choosing other family activities - AFL, NRL.

Focus should be on the real competition rather than petty politics from small minded clubs who want to feel important and build their empire

^ I agree.

OP, Are you serious - Let's stop teams from playing basketball.

The sport needs to grow, doesn't really matter where they play.

Small minded clubs such as Melbourne, Dandenong and Sandringham?

Funny SEABL being called the second tier competition. It wasn't that long ago it was just another conference in the ABA. What's changed?

BTW Melbourne Men's team was one of the worst performed teams in SCM in recent years so hardly a coup for the SEABL comp having them join their ranks.

lol at SEABL being called "second-tiered" as if it's higher than the other five state leagues. They are all on the same semi-professional level - SEABL isn't a higher grade than SBL or QBL, c'mon now. The Darwin league, now that's third-tiered

what I'm saying is, they are all second-tiered leagues. SEABL isn't higher up on the rack, no matter how much the SEABL thinks they are. Sure it is a more competitive league and is attractive to Americans, but it's not above the other five on the tier system

The reality is if it's a stronger comp than the other which SEABL is purely due to the fact it attracts the more elite and experienced players then it has to be looked at as the second teir league after NBL/WNBL.
The fact bigV and SEABL are used by many clubs at the same time, comes from the division years ago to move away from the SEABL Dleague level to allow the BigV Championship and Youth Championship better opportunities to grow as they were becoming less competitive due to the bigger clubs attracting stronger players into Dleague in the hopes of making that clubs SEABL sides. In doing so it's actually increased the strength of the BigV comp but made SEABL that step further up from BigV. Room for both in all clubs if they can afford it and get the players.

Many of the Dleague players went into either SEABL or BigV champioship, leaving room for those who could not make the Dleague sides to join the youth championships sides, so it wasn't a case of them being relegated or even dropped. Some clubs chose to run a Div1 team so some of their older players had somewhere to go to

The only reason SEABL is a higher standard is the clubs in those comps are loaded financially and can afford to participate in the more expensive competition an can afford to pay their players more dollars.

SEABL is second tier competition alongside BIG V and the other state leagues. SEABL is not a second tier competition on it's own.

Having Melbourne Tigers joining their ranks certainly doesn't raise their standrads. There are plenty of stronger clubs in BIG V SCM.

I also would like to know from the original poster is BA now administering SEABL? If so how did this come about?

I think the tiers go like this:

1 NBL
2 NZ NBL
3 SEABL, QBL
4 Other state leagues

My point has been confirmed perfectly here, to many clubs/leagues wanting to compete against each other rather than the real competition, it is why basketball is held back.

BA is administering SEABL (as they have been for 3 years) but now it is an official BA comp / second tier.

For those still living in 2009 lets highlight some facts:

* The ABA no longer exists
* SEABL is a regionally based competition administrated by BA, it is seen as the second tier for elite clubs across in Australia.
* Each state league is a member of / or administrated by their state association and is the highest competition in their state (third tier) (although I have heard many Association domestic competitions are better than the Big V divisions).

Whether it's a BA-administered comp or not is irrelevant in the real world.

Agree, sadly.

Who left SEABL?

The arrogance of those involved with SEABL clubs makes you laugh.

First to the poster whining about clubs and Leagues competing against each other, well duh!!!!

Of course they will compete against each other that is human nature especially in regards to sport. I don't see how healthy competition holds the sport back.

You talk about the sport working together to compete against other sports and then in the next breathe put down other leagues in the sport as a lesser level to your own. Then to top it off bag other state leagues as being at a lesser level than domestic.

Bottom line is SEABL cant be too elite if it cant run it's own house, hails the acquisition of Melbourne as a coup and is more elite only in the minds of it's own members.

Lets be serious, there is no competition anyway between leagues, Big V is not equal to SEABL. They cannot even keep one of their 'premier' teams like Sherbrooke in the League.

Sure, a big budget can help, but it is team unity and balance, with some luck on the injury front that will get you finals success.

Make a bad pick with your imports or key high price players and you will still pay for it!

Wow some clever people here. Based on comments I would say the NBA and Nbl are at the same level as both are national competitions.

And you would be correct Anon. Completely correct.

The only really interesting thing the OP raises however is the conflict of interest issue.

Hypothetically, what if BA now decided to run a separate, Vic/SA/TAS Youth league?

Or a league that operated essentially within one state but with one team from another state to justify it being an "interstate competition".

Could it possibly now claim it could do this at any level (age groupings), with impunity?

Interesting times in basketball here in Australia, so we are asking some questions now about how competitions are being run, whether or not there is an agenda at the top levels or if SEABL can be compromised, in fact whether or not any State league can be compromised by the actions or non actions of governing bodies?

I am unsure where SEABL is projected to go in the future, under BA's rule, however I would be surprised if BA would undermine or risk the integrity of a State competition for the sake of building another empire to maybe rival the NBL, for example...

That would expose BA and I for one would like answers, but as far as the power clubs go, they will ultimately seek the path that best suits themselves, they always have IMO...

You can include Mt Gambier & Albury into that list. And exclude Knox. They are no longer in SEABL.

Great concept. A true D League with no age restriction. Only rules is no imports and 5 restricted players nominated in SEABL comp who cannot move between comps.

Games not to clash so 8-12 players in SEABL roster can get a regular game in the D League.

Will kill off the Big V SYCM & SYCW comp and weaken the SCM & SCW comp.

I like it.

You can see positives or negatives, depending on your point of view I guess.

From a positive perspective I think a D League would provide an additional pathway to those Associations that go from Youth Yeague to SEABL only and may help keep local players from leaving the game.

Such a D-League concept would not, in my opinion, cause the killing or huge disadvantage to any Associations not in SEABL because the Big V would essentially still exist and in its current format and players would not likely move en mass.

Rules could be put in place to prevent these issues regardless.

If the D-league Associations do the right thing and use this concept as a feeder to their SEABL programs by giving their best youth players the chance to develop in a strong adult league for a year or two it may keep local talent in their SEABL club rather than lose them or have too many imports take their spots in the long run.

On the Con side of things, some may see this concept diluting the talent pool in the Big V for the first couple of season as a bad thing that cannot be recovered from, however one could argue it may be a small pain for long term gain...

The other idea would be for the Big V to allow all SEABL associations to enter the Men's and Women's Championship/D1 like the Supercats have done and create a larger competition within the Big V, but if restrictions apply and an Association like Geelong is asked to leave the Big V D1, well then I guess they have little choice but to join a D-League concept in stead.

The question is this:

Is there enough basketball talent in Victoria to support an additional league under SEABL that conceptually bridges the gap for players of youth league age without compromising the quality or integrity of competitions between those Associations that can afford SEABL and those who cannot?

I believe there is...

Be interesting to see the cost of entry.