WNBL’s newest club stands United
Geelong United is officially a WNBL team.
After the Melbourne Boomers confirmed the official transfer of the licence to Geelong on Thursday night, the national competition’s newest club was officially welcomed on Friday.
The move will see United have a complete pathway from junior representative basketball in the Victoria Junior Basketball League to the national stage. Currently, the club has men’s and women’s teams entered in the NBL1 South competition.
“This is a great day for the WNBL, we have been working with Geelong United Basketball for some time and we are delighted to be able to announce their inclusion in the
Tony Popovic’s coaching future remains clouded as he focuses on guiding Melbourne Victory to an A-League title.
Popovic and Victory officials are still at odds over terms of a new deal.
If the 50-year-old former Socceroos defender wants to stay in charge of the Victory, he will have to accept a significant pay cut. league,” head of the WNBL Christy Collier-Hill said.
“Season 2024-25 is going to be so exciting for the fans and we know that Geelong will really get behind their team. There has never been a better time for women’s sport with more fans than ever before.”
Geelong United Basketball chief executive Mark Neeld said he was excited by the potential growth in the women’s game on the back of the announcement.
“The profile of women’s sport is on a dramatic rise, and locally we’ve seen so many of these women doing great things, particularly in basketball with the NBL1,” Neeld said. “We of course see the growth in basketball firsthand and want to reward our hardworking female athletes with another amazing opportunity
Reportedly earning more than $700,000 per year, Popovic will have to agree to close to a 50 per cent reduction in his annual salary if he is to remain at the Victory, which like other A-League clubs is bracing for a much smaller distribution figure from the financially embattled APL.
As reported last month, Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler is among the candidates Victory officials are considering to play sport at the highest level right here in their own backyard.”
Three-time Olympian and WNBL Hall of Fame member Trish Fallon expressed her excitement.
“I grew up in Geelong and went through the local pathways that took me all the way to the Olympics,” she said.
“Geelong has such a strong, vibrant basketball community and having a WNBL team will give girls of all ages the opportunity to aspire to playing at the elite level. I’m looking forward to heading down to watch some games and I encourage all of the Geelong basketball fans to come out and support the team.”
In its own confirmation of the licence transfer to Geelong, Melbourne Boomers chairman Tony Hallam delivered a parting shot at Basketball Australia.
“As we pursue equality in as a replacement for Popovic, with the others being former Melbourne City boss Patrick Kisnorbo, Adelaide United assistant Mark Milligan and Western United assistant Hayden Foxe.
Popovic, who is preparing his side for Sunday’s semi-final first-leg clash against Wellington Phoenix at AAMI Park, said on Friday that his contract talks with the Victory had been put on hold. elite women’s sport, there is, quite rightly, an increasing expectation by our wonderful athletes and coaches in terms of remuneration and working conditions (enjoyed by their male equivalents) – however these significant rising costs cannot continue to be absorbed just by the private owners, without the support of the current league owner, Basketball Australia,” Hallam said in a statement.
The club plans to play its home games out of Geelong Arena from this season.
In its own statement announcing the licence, Geelong United acknowledged those who made the move possible. They included the Deam family, Anna Teague and Seb Loader, Jackie and Ben Riddle, and the Belgravia Group (Lord family).
Season 2024-25 is going to be so exciting for the fans and we know that Geelong will really get behind their team.
“That’s something that we decided on a while back,” he said. “We’ll just focus on the games now, trying to get through these two important semi-final matches, and we’ll deal with that at the appropriate time.”
The winner of the twolegged Victory-Phoenix battle will meet either the Central Coast Mariners or Sydney FC in the A-League grand final on May 25.
Head of WNBL