Novelty factor in numbers game

THE lure of gaining a stranglehold in a market crying out for more professional sport is an undeniable attraction for NBL chief executive Jeremy Loeliger.

Currently the Hobart Hurricanes and Tasmanian Tigers are the only Tasmanian team featuring in a national competition on a full-time basis, with both the AFL and the ALeague shunning the state.

It has left basketball with a golden opportunity to swoop and with Southern Huskies representatives Justin Hickey and Michael Sutton meeting NBL bosses on Wednesday for the first time to outline their progress and business plan for a 10th licence, Loeliger and NBL owner Larry Kestelman have taken notice.

“There is no doubt that is a factor, being the only team in Tasmania in a national sporting competition over the summer with the exception of the Big Bash, which is a shorter period, has its attraction,” Loeliger told the Mercury.

“At the same time, I would want to make sure that attraction wasn’t a novelty.

“I’m not saying it would be or is, but again it is one of those things we would really want to scrutinise very closely and assure ourselves it wasn’t going to be a short-term novelty, which wore off after the first few seasons.”

The Hurricanes have proven anything but a novelty in the history of the BBL, regularly packing out Blundstone Arena. And with a crowd of 3500 expected to turn up to the DEC for tonight’s SEABL preliminary final, fans are voting with their feet.

The success of the Chargers, the North West Thunder and Launceston Tornadoes and the huge interest in the Huskies has created almost unprecedented interest in basketball in the state, with Loeliger admitting the Chargers’ ability to pull record crowds will be one factor taken into consideration when determining whether the NBL believes a team can be sustainable.

“It does carry weight ... and long may those numbers continue,” Loeliger said.

“Getting those numbers in the short term is one thing, sustaining them for an NBL franchise year after year after year is a different thing.

“I’m not saying that they can do it or they can’t do it, but we will certainly explore whether or not they have the capacity.”