NBL in crisis after Townsville Crocodiles fold
NBL in crisis after Townsville Crocodiles fold
THE future of the NBL once again hangs in the balance after the apparent collapse of the Townsville Crocodiles today.
Basketball officials were left stunned when management of Barrier Reef Basketball, trading as the Townsville Crocodiles, decided to hand in their NBL license.
BA chief executive officer Kristina Keneally quickly hung up the phone today when asked what the Crocs? decision meant for the NBL, while BA?s ?Professional Leagues Operations? manager Chuck Harmison similarly refused to answer, saying he was ?going into a meeting?.
About an hour ago, BA tweeted: ?We will - in consultation with @NBL Clubs - consider implications of the move and put forward a position in the coming days.?
Citing the financial impossibility of going on, chairman George Colbran said the club?s board had no option.
If another buyer for the license cannot be found, the NBL would be down to just seven teams for the 2013/14 season.
A spokesman for Basketball Australia said it would consider the implications of the latest news.
"The Board and Management of Basketball Australia, in consultation with NBL clubs, will consider the implications of this move and put a position forward in the coming days,? he said.
Colbran put up the "for sale" sign for the Crocs today, which has been an NBL stalwart for 20 years, and suggested his club wasn?t alone in fighting to stay afloat in the NBL
?This decision is a result of the company suffering sustained losses from participating in the competition over the past six years totalling in excess of $2.5 million,? he said. .
?There is a place for a Townsville based team in the NBL competition, however the sustainability of the league must also be in question as Townsville is one of a number of NBL clubs fighting financial crises under very similar circumstances. ?
If Townsville is not replaced, a seven-team NBL appears unlikely to attract sufficient corporate or fan support to continue.
?We don?t know what it might mean at this stage,? Adelaide 36ers chief executive Dean Parker said.
Parker attended an NBL chief executives meeting a fortnight ago which included Townsville?s Pat Reidy.
?Pat didn?t give any indication, nothing was even mentioned about the Crocs not continuing,? Parker said.
Townsville recently sacked coach Paul Woolpert with a year to run on his contract, and also assistant Liam Flynn.
It then re-signed guard Mitch Norton to a three-year deal.
?Those aren?t the sort of signals to suggest a club might be considering returning its license,? Parker said.
?I?m in the dark so it?s all guesswork.
?I don?t know how it might impact the television deal (with Network 10) and for us, all we can do is maintain business-as-usual.?
Only last Tuesday Crocs management, which sacked coach Paul Woolpert at the end of the regular season, reported a "massive boost" by re-signing local young gun Mitch Norton for three years.
His future, and that of his teammates including NBL Players Association president Jacob Holmes, remains in the air.
The NBLPA said it would work to ensure "Crocs players and their families are looked after as well as possible."
The collapse of the Crocs comes just 12 months after the Gold Coast Blaze suffered a similar fate. Several players, including Melbourne Tigers MVP Chris Goulding, lost several thousand dollars in wages when the Blaze went under.
The Tigers though have solid financial backing in owners Larry Kestelman and Michael Slepoy, who recently sold their company Dodo for in excess of $200 million and pledged to pour even more money in to the Tigers and basketball.
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