I don't know why, but i like the idea of a thursday game much more than the wednesday games.

Bye Bye Snakes!
First 3 rounds on the road,then 4 games in 8 days.
14 home games and only 2 Friday & 2 Saturday.
Someone had to be the new T'Ville I guess.

Wildcats:
2 Thurs 6 Fri 4 Sat 2 Sun

Good spread for us, I think.

Kick off the season away to Brisbane, then at home to Cairns. Welcome back Jawai, please don't kill us :V

"Bye Bye Snakes!
First 3 rounds on the road,then 4 games in 8 days.
14 home games and only 2 Friday & 2 Saturday.
Someone had to be the new T'Ville I guess."

Plus they took the NYE game away from Cairns, which is regularly a sellout and the biggest game of the year.

The NBL have made their intentions clear that they do not support the smaller markets.

The NBL have made their intentions clear that they do not support the smaller markets.

Given that Cairns had a sellout crowd and biggest game of the year taken away from them, I think it's a bit harsh for the NBL to do that. I wonder what the logistical justification is.

Focusing on big markets is all well and good, but we've still got Cairns and Illawarra, and without them we're a 6 team league which doesn't cut it.

8 teams isn't really enough as it is. I don't think we gain much by treating them like crap and disadvantaging them then applying the mantra of "survive with what you're given or be gone".

On the contrary, I think while attempting to please major sponsors and broadcasters and maximising profitability (I understand this is crucial), we also need to pay particular attention to compensating/finding ways of making life easier for the two smaller markets that remain, if anything because save for potential introduction of second Vic & NZ sides, 6 teams is not enough and we don't have the breakthrough in major cities yet to treat a well utilised Cairns market like it's expendable.

Maybe the break even point for attendances for each venue was a factor. Cairns "only" have to sell 5000 tickets for a sellout, while Adelaide (7800), Melbourne (10000), Sydney (18000) and Perth (13000) have much bigger venues to fill, and would have a very high break even point for minimum crowd number.

I know Cairns is a small market, but with their fantastic support that they usually get, they should still be getting their usual 3500-4500 regardless of when they are playing. Also, the break even point might be quite low at Cairns.

Of course I agree in general about the draw being favored for bigger markets.

Taipans actually have 3 home games on both Friday and Saturday. Most home games (6) are on a Sunday. I agree that a poor start like last season, which is likely given that 5 of the first 7 games are on the road, will probably sour the team's chances.

4 games in 8 days (pretty sure most teams will have a stretch like that) and 8 in 22 days at the end of the season (half home, half away) is not great, either. We'll have to see how it pans out, but the Snakes are going to have to start with a flyer on the road to have much of a chance.

At least Melbourne don't start with 15 home games like they did last season! (Ok, ok, what was it, 8 out of their first 9?) :D

Still TBD.

Taking the Taipans NYE game away is short-sighted and disappointing, but not sure I agree with the "NBL doesn't support smaller markets" line.
Beecroft is on the NBL commission and Garrone on the NBL board (as far as I'm aware anyway, unless things have changed), so Cairns in particular is well represented at that level anyway.

Crowds might take a hit on Thursdays in Adelaide seeing as it is the day that many social leagues play.

Turns out Cairns Convention Centre isn't available on NYE. That's the logistical reason

Or maybe that's regarding the start of the schedule...

"In relation to the NYE game we understand Cairns fans are disappointed however we need to cater to NBL fans nationally and our broadcasters so have introduced a rotation process for our marquee games in order for all fans to enjoy them. Cairns will be part of that rotation process for future marquee games." That's the reply to some person's fb message by the NBL

I think you will find that the Convention Centre was automatically booked for the Taipans for NYE as a standing booking.

Thanks for the clarification, GordonG. He's someone who would know, in case you other Hoopsters don't know who he is.
I hope we get a home NYE game every other year, as a minimum. It would be nice to start the year with a home game somewhere near the start of the season, too.

...and here's why we can't play at home until Round 4:

http://www.cairnsconvention.com.au/calendar-1.html

They could at least credit me for the pic :)