Gold Coast Blaze NBL franchise up in smoke
The Gold Coast Blaze NBL franchise up in smoke as owners walk away
THE Gold Coast Blaze National Basketball League franchise is dead.
After five years and $12 million shattered owners Owen and Ben Tomlinson last night sensationally closed down the club they created after Basketball Australia stunned the sport by ordering the family to post a $1 million bank guarantee before they would be granted a licence into next season's NBL competition.
Goldcoast.com.au reports the Tomlinsons, who had earlier declared they had secured the finances to operate in the 2012/13 season, had already reappointed staff when they were informed their submission would not be granted.
Numerous clubs will not post the bank guarantee this season, but BA insisted the Tomlinsons had to.
Late last night Owen Tomlinson said the saga hard torn his family apart.
"We are going to walk away," he said.
"We thought we were ready to enter the season, we thought we had the finances and we thought we were going to get the green light.
"Sadly, there are just too many hurdles that we are being made to jump. And we can't do it anymore.
"We desperately want a team on the Gold Coast. We love the Blaze and we loved what it brought to the community. I don't understand why they are enforcing the bank guarantee, but it's too much for us."
It marks another dark chapter in the city's sporting landscape.
The club becomes the second Gold Coast national sporting team to fold this year after A-League side Gold Coast United was stripped of its licence.
They join the Gold Coast Giants, Seagulls, Chargers and Rollers among national teams that have folded.
The Gold Coast Titans' long term future remains clouded.
Tomlinson was adamant the club would have been a success this year, but said he could no longer fight BA who did not even bother to call the family.
He said it would have been wrong to string the players out.
"We just cannot keep going, keeping players, coaches and staff from taking other positions. We have run out of time and energy. We have seen our own family torn apart and we have decided to withdraw our submission,'' he wrote to players and staff last night.
"We are devastated. We hope that you will understand."
The decision ended a two month saga which began when the club was placed into Voluntary Administration when they could not pay sacked coach Brendan Joyce damages he was awarded in the Supreme Court.
One by one, sections of the club was closed down and players and staff had their contracts terminated.
The Tomlinson family had appeared to have secured a ''white knight'' investor who was going to inject an eight figure sum into the club. But he could not get the funds in time for the start of the season.
The club then joined forces with the Gold Coast Basketball Association and reverted to a community model.
They received a $500,000 cash injection from a mystery fan and with more than $1 million in revenue predicted, believed they had the funds to continue next season.
BA disagreed and yesterday ordered they come up with the Bank Guarantee despite some teams not being forced to.
BA gave the Blaze until July 31, but the Tomlinsons accepted they could not go on.
Acting BA chief executive Scott Derwin, who refused to be interviewed, said he wanted more detail in the club's submission.
"This proposal is a good start, which BA supports in principle but the reality is it needs to be fleshed out further," he said,
"Ultimately, BA has a responsibility to the league and the broader basketball community to insist the Blaze moves forward with a viable and sustainable business model."
It was a shattering blow to contracted players Adam Gibson, Anthony Petrie and Chris Goulding, who had remained loyal to the club and put faith in the governing bodies.
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