Between The Cage, MCA, Melbourne Arena and RLA we're covered for everything between 3,500 and 15,000.

I'd never watch a game there - I live in the North West- but the majority of the population lives in the East, so it's accessible (by car) for most people. I think the whole point was to service the Eastern suburbs.

Is there still a plan to extend it?

There is still a plan to extend it, including additional courts, larger showcourt plus BA CoE to move there is the word.

Thing is arena's like MCA and Rod Laver are expensive and often have clashes like the tennis and concerts etc.

It'd be nice to have a dedicated basketball centre for the people of Melbourne that wasn't in the far away suburbs.

Extending it will only make the car park accessibility and lack of public transport connects more glaring.

I like SBC and have no problem with it's location given the demography of entire Melbourne

Is Melbourne arena actually used for the tennis?

When I try to get tickets, the prime game is on RLA, the next best is on MCA - no mention of Melbourne Arena.

Perhaps it's a "Oz Open general access takes up the entire area" thing, otherwise what's the issue having Melbourne teams play there?

To OP - yes I was at the game as well ...

I think it's a great location ... just off Eastlink, easy access from the Eastern burbs ... and the teams playing there are eastern based ... absolutely agree the single lane access to carpark is awful and needs to be addressed.

Would much rather go to a game at SBC than try and get into town to the larger stadiums that WNBL just will not fill.

And to be fair to WNBL teams, most are trying to have a couple of games a season in other locations - the Boomers played a home game in Geelong a couple of weeks ago.

Horses for courses ... you could buy a Bendigo membership and get on up there :-)

Yeah great for the Eastern suburbs, but there's an ever growing number of people living in the north and west, but both wnbl teams are in the east. Doesn't really help grow the league.

A legit point about West and North West of Melbourne - those suburbs are growing fast and big - so a fair call to say trekking to SBC for WNBL can be a haul. Still SBC is better than CBD at this point of time IMO.

Its good for the eastern suburbs and yes it might lack public transport but due to planning/space its really the best option and has plenty of room to expand in the future.

The vehicle access if very good being on Eastlink so if the east/west link tunnel is build access will be pretty easy be vehicle from the Northern suburbs.


If you look at the demographics of which regions/areas play basketball the North/West isn't exactly a basketball mecca with the Football codes certainly dominating that area of Melbourne so the SBC is in an area that best service the greater basketball community as a whole.

"If you look at the demographics of which regions/areas play basketball the North/West isn't exactly a basketball mecca with the Football codes certainly dominating that area of Melbourne so the SBC is in an area that best service the greater basketball community as a whole."

And this kind of thinking is what makes it hard for the game to grow in other parts.

That's true, Essendon, Keilor and surrounds are Footy central.

Most of the big basketball clubs are out East. I played for the mighty Keilor Thunder, and we were basically the only elite junior club in the entire North West. Broady (or is it called Hume City?) and Coburg often have good senior teams but the junior programs aren't top tier. Or weren't in my day.

So while it'd be nice to have a central basketball hub, I'm happy that we have a State Basketball Center at all.

"No good if men's and women's playing consecutive games. 2 change rooms only. Pathetic."

The teams won't be in the changerooms at the same time, it doesn't really matter whether they're men or women! It would be good to have better changerooms there though.


NBL1 is supposed to be a semi professional sport, when you have only two change rooms and back to back games fir women then men, what it means is men can't access the change rooms until after half time and need to share facilities re space etc , these change rooms are not exactly large. ....it also means that either the men must vacate the change rooms the minute the women’s game concludes or the women have to wait until the men take the court and then work around all the men’s stuff to get changed.

These players have treatment before and after games in most cases, they needs to shower , take over baths etc, have pre and post game discussions, it’s not like school sport where you run in and run out.

How they even passed as the "state basketball centre “ without adequate change rooms is mind blowing, considering they were in consultation with Basketball Victoria , shows how amateur those handling these discussions were to not factor in elite level requirements .