Well-merited WNBL plan

WHERE there is a will, there is usually a way and Cairns Basketball is determined to add a Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) to its roster.

The city lacks a high profile code for women despite the large numbers of females participating in sport, from netball and golf through to AFL and soccer, even vigoro.

Cairns Basketball has prepared a crafty business plan to try to bring a WNBL franchise to the city, following in the strides of the men’s Taipans NBL team.

The idea is an $18 million extension project to build new courts and a stadium at their venue in Aumuller St, Manunda.

At the moment boys all have a pathway up into the national spotlight but the drop-off rate is huge for girls when they hit the under-18s mark.

Cairns Basketball needs local, state and federal governments all on board to make it happen.

If they can’t make it work, their only other option would be to build on a greenfield site, which would be prohibitively expensive.

Up-and-coming young female basketballers are understandably backing the plan to give them an even playing field as the men.

At the moment there are eight teams in what is the longest running female sporting competition in Australia.

It attracts good spectators and television viewing numbers and there is no reason it won’t be well supported in Cairns.

The proposal deserves consideration by all levels of government.