Time right for a GC NBL team to bounce back

THE Gold Coast was once tarred with the unwanted reputation of the city where sporting franchises go to die. This sobriquet, which has been difficult to shake even today, was coined during the dark days of the late 1990s after a decade of disappointment. The Gold Coast saw the Rollers, its first NBL side burst on the scene in 1990 amid that era’s surging interest in basketball only to see it all fall apart in six years.

The city’s rugby league side, the Chargers also disappeared in 1998 after years of on-field disappointment and financial struggles.

The early 2010s saw a similar cycle play out as the city’s A-League side Gold Coast United and the second NBL attempt, the Blaze, bow out after a handful of years.

Now, more than a decade later, things are looking secure for our elite sporting franchises.

The Titans have established themselves in the NRL and been finals contenders several times, while the Suns have been in the AFL for more than a decade. Now, the city is in the frame to return to the NBL courtesy of secret negotiations.

Revelations that NBL boss Larry Kestelman has visited the Gold Coast and met with a consortium led by Billy Cross is heartening, as is news of Mayor Tom Tate’s flight to Sydney for a courtside meeting with the billionaire.

While it is early days, the city is clearly seen as a serious contender for one of the licences which will become available in the coming years.

Plenty of mistakes were made in previous franchises but with them comes knowledge of how to avoid them.

Our standing as sporting city has only grown and an NBL side is a logical step for the future.