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Women's National Basketball League

The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Basketball League (NBL). Several WNBL teams have NBL counterparts. The Adelaide Lightning, Melbourne Boomers, Perth Lynx, Southside Flyers and Sydney Uni Flames are the current WNBL teams sharing a market with an NBL team (the Townsville Fire and University of Canberra Capitals shared a market with the Townsville Crocodiles and Canberra Cannons respectively, before both NBL clubs became defunct). The current league champions are the Townsville Fire, who won their fourth title in 2023.

Women's National Basketball League (WNBL)
Upcoming season or competition:
2023–24 WNBL season
FormerlyWomen's Interstate Basketball Conference (WIBC) (1981)
SportBasketball
Founded1981
Inaugural season1981
PresidentPaul Maley
No. of teams8
Country Australia
ContinentFIBA Oceania (Oceania)
Most recent
champion(s)
Townsville Fire
(4th title)
Most titlesCanberra Capitals
(9 titles)
TV partner(s)ESPN
Streaming partner(s)9Now
Sponsor(s)Chemist Warehouse
Level on pyramid1
Official websiteWNBL.basketball

History Edit

Founding of the WNBL Edit

In August 1980, West Adelaide Bearcat Coach Ted Powell, after an encouraging exchange of letters with St Kilda's Coach Bill Palmer, called a meeting at the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel in Adelaide. In attendance were Ted, North Adelaide Coach Kay McFarlane and Noarlunga Coach Brendan Flynn. At this meeting it was decided to approach three Victorian teams (St Kilda, CYMS and Nunawading) with the idea of forming a home and away Interstate Competition.

The six teams' delegates all met and confirmed the new League at the Town and Country Motel in Sydney during the 1980 Australian Club Championships.

The meeting resolved to form a two-round competition between these teams to be held in July and August in 1981. The basis for the idea was that many of the top sides in both States wanted a varied competition from their standard State League as well as a suitable preparation for the Australian Club Championship, which was held on an annual basis for the top 24 teams in the country. There was also much excitement with the formation of the Men's National League in 1979 and the women felt that one of the best ways to develop the game was to provide more opportunities for the best players and clubs to play against each other more regularly.

A major consideration was finance and with this in mind the competition was formed with the six teams with a full home and away series between all teams with three games on one weekend to save costs. The NSW based clubs of Bankstown and Sutherland were not happy to be left out due to costs and offered to pay their own way to Melbourne and Adelaide where they would play each team once for double points.

And so the WNBL was born. Reference. (Boti Nagy. High flyers: women's basketball in Australia 1990. Sun Books)

In 1981, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) was also opened and the men's head coach Dr. Adrian Hurley (who was to lead the Australian Boomers in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics) contacted the clubs and asked whether the AIS could also participate in the competition to commence later that year.

The nine teams in the inaugural season of the league were: AIS, Bankstown Bruins, Catholic Young Men's Society (CYMS), Melbourne Telstars, Noarlunga Tigers, North Adelaide Rockets, St. Kilda Saints, Sutherland Sharks and West Adelaide Bearcats. The competition commenced on 19 June 1981 with the first game to be played in Adelaide between the AIS and West Adelaide. The competition was called the Women's Interstate Basketball Conference with each team paying the sum of $25 to be a part of the WIBC – giving a central fund of $200 to conduct the competition.

1981–1985: early years Edit

The inaugural winner was St. Kilda who defeated the North Adelaide Rockets 77–58. St. Kilda also went on to win the Victorian State Championship and the Australian Club Championship in Melbourne, defeating Bankstown Bruins in the final. St. Kilda had three Australian representatives in Tracy Morris, Karen Ogden and Patricia Cockrem. Ogden became the national league's first dual Most Valuable Player award winner when she took the individual trophy in 1982 (the first season it was presented) and again in 1983.

In 1982, the competition expanded into another state with the entry of a combined Brisbane team. The new revised program saw Victorian teams travelling to NSW and AIS, and NSW teams travelling to South Australia and South Australian teams travelling to Victoria. It was not a full home and away competition but the beginnings of what was to come in the future. The competition also changed its name to the more appropriate Women's Basketball League. St. Kilda repeated in 1982 with a grand final win over Bankstown – the men's team also won the first two NBL titles, which showed the strength of St. Kilda at that time.

In 1983, Nunawading Spectres led by Robyn Maher easily defeated St. Kilda and went on to win nine WNBL titles during the next 12 years. During the 1983 Australian Club Championships, a workshop was held to discuss women's basketball and from that meeting came the decision to bring together a second tier of clubs to form the Women's Conference. There were now 20 women's teams playing in a home and away competition, which immediately improved the standard of women's basketball in Australia.

With the NBL finally riding the crest of a sudden wave of popularity, media interest in the women's league also was on the increase. Most clubs were recognising the need to promote themselves and the image of the league. Double header matches with the men's NBL and with South East Basketball League games – a secondary men's interstate competition – pushed the women's game before a wider spectator audience unfamiliar with the quality of women's basketball. In 1985, the two competitions continued to work together to improve women's basketball and recognised the need to promote the competition and the individual clubs and athletes. Hobart was winners of the second conference and was keen to enter the main competition, however this was not to be until 1986.

1986–1989: league expansion and growth Edit

When Perth admitted a team for the 1986 Women's Basketball Conference, the two women's leagues could rightfully claim that between them they had a truly national competition. The Australian Basketball Federation approved the WBL's application to be renamed the National Women's Basketball League and a new era was underway. 1986 was also the first year that the WNBL played its first full home and away competition and next year, Perth sought a position in the number league. Perth's inclusion was on the basis that they paid their own airfares in the first two years to earn their position.

Following the success of the Seoul Olympics, the WNBL was ready to enter a new era and appointed Lyn Palmer in the newly created full-time general manager position. Lyn Palmer, who had just retired after a distinguished playing career with St. Kilda, Nunawading and Coburg, was looking for a change whilst her husband Bill was general manager of the men's NBL.

In 1989, the WNBL gained its first sponsorship in Pony, one of Australia's leading sporting apparel companies at the time for $258,000 and ABC agreed to cover the finals series. The women's game in Australia was on the move – there were 13 teams in the WNBL for the 1989 season, with the Bankstown Bruins changing their name to the Sydney Bruins to try to gain more market exposure in Australia's largest city.

1990s: continued growth Edit

The next few years saw the league continue to grow with Australia being awarded the Women's World Championships in 1994. The pressure was now on to ensure that women's basketball gained a profile in the country, and in 1993, the WNBL teams agreed to contribute some money to enable the game to be televised on a weekly basis by ABC. This was the break through that the sport needed and also coincided with the Sydney Kings taking over the ownership of the Sydney Bruins and the formation of the Sydney Flames.

Coached by Carrie Graf, the Flames became one of Australia's most popular women's sporting teams. The Perth Breakers led the way with the bodysuit in the early 1990s whilst the Flames continued to modify the suit, winning the title in 1993 and gaining back page coverage on the Sydney newspapers, a feat never envisaged back in the early 1980s.

The 1990s were dominated by Sydney, Melbourne Tigers, Adelaide Lightning and Canberra. The AIS won their first title in the first summer season of 1998–99 led by one of the best basketballers in the world, Lauren Jackson. Jan Morris continued as the President (10 years as President is recognised as an outstanding contribution to the WNBL) of the League and in 1995 Leeanne Grantham (née Christie) became the Chief Executive. Throughout the mid-late 1990s (and into the early 2000s) the WNBL brand became the most well known women's sport brand in Australia, it was also recognised as one of the top 3 leading women's basketball leagues in the world.

The ABC televised weekly WNBL games and broadcast the 1994 Women's World Championships held in Australia, this provided women's basketball with the type of profile required to help secure significant sponsorship enabling the League to reduce the travel pool and to continue to build on the WNBL Brand.

2000s Edit

 
WNBL teams, the Logan Thunder in white and the University of Canberra Capitals in blue, battle for the ball in a game on 20 January 2012.

The ABC continued to televise the league despite some difficulties in mid-2001 when the ABC contemplated changing their televising of sport. A successful partnership between the WNBL and Netball Australia subsequently saw both sports retained on ABC. ABC undertook to increase their coverage by showing Friday night games live on ABC digital television as well as a replay in the regular Saturday afternoon slot.

The WNBL was very stable with eight teams for a number of seasons with Tasmania and Northern Territory not represented. In 2006, Bendigo, through the efforts of a strong community focus for women's basketball, commenced discussions with Basketball Australia about entering a team for the 2007–08 season. At the same time, Basketball New Zealand had discussions with Basketball Australia about a team from New Zealand entering the next season.

In October 2006, the decision was made to welcome two new teams into the WNBL for the 2007–08 season in Bendigo Spirit and Christchurch Sirens.[1] Bendigo brought excellent community support into the league, whilst Christchurch had a number of the New Zealand Tall Ferns on their roster to begin. One of the strategic objectives of the WNBL was to see a second team out of Queensland from the south and after some very effective feasibility work, Logan Basketball Association were successful in being admitted into the 2008–09 season with the Logan Thunder.

In 2013, the Adelaide Lightning merged into a partnership with the NBL's Adelaide 36ers which sees the two clubs sharing management and marketing departments, as well as use of the 8,000 seat Adelaide Arena, the largest venue currently used in the WNBL. The collaboration of WNBL and NBL teams from the same city is seen as a way of raising the public profile of both the WNBL and the Lightning, with several Lightning home games played before 36ers games in cross-promoted double headers ensuring the women's game often finishes in front of crowds in excess of 5,000.

A February 2023 match between the Southside Flyers and the Sydney Flames drew a crowd of 7,681, which is the largest ever WNBL crowd.[2][3][4]

Current clubs Edit

Club Colours City State Arena Capacity Founded Head Coach WNBL
Championships
Most
recent
Adelaide Lightning Navy Blue, Red, Yellow Adelaide   South Australia Adelaide 36ers Arena 8,000 1992   Natalie Hurst 5 2008; 15 years ago (2008)
Bendigo Spirit Dodger Blue, Yellow Bendigo   Victoria Bendigo Stadium 4,000 2007   Kennedy Kereama 2 2014; 9 years ago (2014)
Canberra Capitals Light Blue, Black, Gold Canberra   Australian Capital Territory AIS Arena 5,200 1986   Kristen Veal 9 2020; 3 years ago (2020)
Melbourne Boomers Purple, Gold Melbourne   Victoria Parkville Stadium 3,500 1984   Chris Lucas 2 2022; 1 year ago (2022)
Perth Lynx Red, Black, White Perth   Western Australia Bendat Basketball Centre 2,000 1988   Ryan Petrik 1 1992; 31 years ago (1992)
Southside Flyers Aqua, Navy, White Dandenong   Victoria State Basketball Centre 3,200 1992   Cheryl Chambers 4 2020; 3 years ago (2020)
Sydney Flames Black, Silver and Gold Sydney   New South Wales Qudos Bank Arena 18,000 1981   Shelley Gorman 4 2017; 6 years ago (2017)
Townsville Fire Black, Orange, Light Blue Townsville   Queensland Townsville Entertainment Centre 5,257 2001   Shannon Seebohm 4 2023; 0 years ago (2023)

Former clubs Edit

  • Adelaide City Comets – 1992
  • Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) – 1981 to 2011–12
  • Brisbane Blazers – 1982 to 1998
  • Catholic Young Men's Society (CYMS) – 1981 to 1982
  • Christchurch Sirens – 2007–08
  • Coburg Cougars – 1983 to 1990
  • Geelong Supercats – 1986
  • Hobart Islanders – 1986 to 1996
  • Logan Thunder – 2008–09 to 2013–14
  • Melbourne Telstars – 1981
  • Melbourne Tigers – 1989 to 2000–01
  • Noarlunga Tigers – 1981 to 1991
  • North Adelaide Rockets – 1981 to 1991
  • Nunawading Spectres (Melbourne East Spectres) – 1982 to 1991
  • South East Queensland Stars – 2015–16
  • St. Kilda Saints – 1981 to 1985
  • Sutherland Sharks – 1981 to 1986
  • West Adelaide Bearcats – 1981 to 1992

Season format Edit

Regular season Edit

The WNBL regular season typically begins in early October and concludes in mid to late February. During the regular season, each team plays 24 games, 12 home and away. Each team plays each other at least three times, and some of the teams four times. The top four teams in on the Championship ladder move on to the WNBL Finals, usually taking place in March.

After April, teams hold training camps. Training camps allow the coaching staff to prepare the players for the regular season, and determine the roster with which they will begin the regular season. After training camp, a series of preseason exhibition games are held.

WNBL finals Edit

The top four teams at the end of the regular season advances to the finals. The teams finishing in the first and second positions at the completion of the regular season receive home advantage in their three-game first-round match-up against the teams finishing in fourth and third positions respectively. The winners of these series advance to the grand final. With home advantage being awarded to the highest remaining seed, the winner of the three-game grand final series is crowned as WNBL champion.

The WNBL finals
1980s
Season Champions Runners-up Format Result Finals MVP
Team Coach Team Coach
1981 St Kilda Saints North Adelaide Rockets Kay McFarlane Single game 77–58 N/A
1982 St Kilda Saints Bankstown Bruins Robbie Cadee Single game 63–56 N/A
1983 Nunawading Spectres Tom Maher St Kilda Saints Single game 70–46 N/A
1984 Nunawading Spectres Tom Maher West Adelaide Bearcats Ted Powell Single game 78–65 N/A
1985 Coburg Cougars Noarlunga Tigers Jim Madigan Single game 73–71 Karin Maar
1986 Nunawading Spectres Australian Institute of Sport Single game 62–51 Shelley Gorman
1987 Nunawading Spectres Tom Maher Coburg Cougars Single game 67–59 Tracey Browning
1988 Nunawading Spectres Tom Maher North Adelaide Rockets Kay McFarlane Single game 71–43 Shelley Gorman
1989 Nunawading Spectres Tom Maher Hobart Islanders Single game 80–69 Robyn Maher
1990s
Season Champions Runners-up Format Result Finals MVP
Team Coach Team Coach
1990 North Adelaide Rockets Mark Molitor Hobart Islanders Single game 72–57 Donna Brown
1991 Hobart Islanders Nunawading Spectres Single game 67–64 Debbie Black
1992 Perth Breakers Tom Maher Dandenong Rangers Alex Palazzolo Single game 58–54 Tanya Fisher
1993 Sydney Flames Carrie Graf Perth Breakers Guy Molloy Single game 65–64 Annie Burgess
1994 Adelaide Lightning Jan Stirling Melbourne Tigers Ray Tomlinson Single game 84–77 Rachael Sporn
1995 Adelaide Lightning Jan Stirling Melbourne Tigers Ray Tomlinson Single game 50–43 Rachael Sporn
1996 Adelaide Lightning Jan Stirling Sydney Flames Carrie Graf Single game 80–65 Michelle Brogan
1997 Sydney Flames Bill Tomlinson Adelaide Lightning Jan Stirling Single game 61–56 Trisha Fallon
1998 Adelaide Lightning Jan Stirling Sydney Flames Murray Wardle Single game 67–56 Jo Hill
1998–99 Australian Institute of Sport Phil Brown Perth Breakers Murray Treseder Single game 88–79 Kristen Veal
2000s
2010s
Season Champions Runners-up Format Result Finals MVP
Team Coach Team Coach
2009–10 Canberra Capitals Carrie Graf Bulleen Boomers Tom Maher Single game 75–70 Lauren Jackson
2010–11 Bulleen Boomers Tom Maher Canberra Capitals Carrie Graf Single game 103–78 Sharin Milner
2011–12 Dandenong Rangers Mark Wright Bulleen Boomers Tom Maher Single game 94–70 Kathleen MacLeod
2012–13 Bendigo Spirit Bernie Harrower Townsville Fire Chris Lucas Single game 71–57 Kelsey Griffin
2013–14 Bendigo Spirit Bernie Harrower Townsville Fire Chris Lucas Single game 94–83 Kelsey Griffin
2014–15 Townsville Fire Chris Lucas Bendigo Spirit Bernie Harrower Single game 75–65 Mia Newley
2015–16 Townsville Fire Chris Lucas Perth Lynx Andy Stewart Best-of-three 2–0 Micaela Cocks
2016–17 Sydney Uni Flames Cheryl Chambers Dandenong Rangers Larissa Anderson Best-of-three 2–0 Leilani Mitchell
2017–18 Townsville Fire Claudia Brassard Melbourne Boomers Guy Molloy Best-of-three 2–1 Suzy Batkovic
2018–19 Canberra Capitals Paul Goriss Adelaide Lightning Chris Lucas Best-of-three 2–1 Kelsey Griffin
2020s
Season Champions Runners-up Format Result Finals MVP
Team Coach Team Coach
2019–20 Canberra Capitals Paul Goriss Southside Flyers Cheryl Chambers Best-of-three 2–0 Olivia Époupa
2020 Southside Flyers Cheryl Chambers Townsville Fire Shannon Seebohm Single game 99–82 Leilani Mitchell
2021–22 Melbourne Boomers Guy Molloy Perth Lynx Ryan Petrik Best-of-three 2–1 Lindsay Allen
2022–23 Townsville Fire Shannon Seebohm Southside Flyers Cheryl Chambers Best-of-three 2–0 Tianna Hawkins

Players and Coaches Edit

Over the years the success of the Opals has been vitally linked to the success of the WNBL. The WNBL has seen the development of famous Opals such as Robyn Maher, Michele Timms, Karen Dalton, Rachael Sporn, Shelley Sandie, Julie Nykiel, Jenny Whittle, Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor. All have represented Australia with distinction and been key performers season after season for their clubs.

Milestones Edit

Milestone Player Team Date Information
Most career points Rachael Sporn Adelaide 1993–2004 5,823 points
Most career rebounds Rachael Sporn Adelaide 1993–2004 3,229 rebounds
Most career assists Kristen Veal AIS, Canberra, Sydney, Logan, Melbourne 1997–2016 1,617 assists
Most career blocks Jenny Whittle AIS, Brisbane, Perth, Bulleen, Canberra, Adelaide 1989–2009 672 blocks
Most career steals Tully Bevilaqua Perth, Canberra 1991–2011 722 steals
Most career three-points made Belinda Snell AIS, Sydney, Bendigo 1998–2019 605 three-points made
Most career games played Kelly Wilson AIS, Sydney, Townsville, Bendigo, Canberra 2002–present 395 games played

Awards Edit

The Most Valuable Player Award is given to player deemed the most valuable for (her team) that season. The Grand Final Most Valuable Player Award is given to player deemed the most valuable for (her team) in the finals. The Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the most outstanding first-year player. The Defensive Player of the Year Award is awarded to the league's best defender. The Top Shooter of the Year Award is given to the player who averages the most points at the conclusion of the regular season. The Coach of the Year Award is awarded to the coach that has made the most positive difference to a team. Also named are the All-Star Five, the most valuable and best performing players of each season.

Most recent award winners (2021–22) Edit

Award Winner Position Team
Most Valuable Player Anneli Maley Forward Bendigo Spirit[5]
Grand Final MVP Lindsay Allen Guard Melbourne Boomers[6]
Defensive Player of the Year Brittney Sykes Guard Canberra Capitals[7]
Sixth Woman of the Year Kristy Wallace Guard Southside Flyers[8]
Youth Player of the Year Ezi Magbegor Forward Melbourne Boomers[9]
Coach of the Year Ryan Petrik Coach Perth Lynx[10]
Leading Scorer Award Anneli Maley Forward Bendigo Spirit[11]
Leading Rebounder Award Anneli Maley Forward Bendigo Spirit
Golden Hands Award Brittney Sykes Guard Canberra Capitals
All-WNBL First Team Jackie Young Guard Perth Lynx[12]
Brittney Sykes Guard Canberra Capitals
Stephanie Talbot Guard Adelaide Lightning
Anneli Maley Forward Bendigo Spirit
Ezi Magbegor Forward/Center Melbourne Boomers
All-WNBL Second Team Lindsay Allen Guard Melbourne Boomers
Marina Mabrey Guard Perth Lynx
Kelsey Griffin Forward Canberra Capitals
Alanna Smith Forward Adelaide Lightning
Cayla George Forward/Center Melbourne Boomers

International influence Edit

The WNBL has been a major stepping-stone for Australians to become noticed in European leagues and the WNBA in the United States. It has also attracted a number of players from English-speaking countries who supplement their WNBA salaries by playing in the league. This is possible because the WNBA conducts its season in the Northern Hemisphere summer, which is the off-season for most basketball leagues throughout the world, including the WNBL. A number of international players have played in the WNBL, such as:

Television Edit

ABC held the rights from the inaugural season in 1981 until they axed their coverage in the 2014/15 season.

  • Fox Sports picked up the rights for the 2017/18 season, after two seasons without television coverage.
  • The 2020 season has returned to the screens of the ABC, along with Fox Sports and Kayo.[13]
  • ESPN picked up the rights for the 2022/23 season with 9Now streaming every remaining game.

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ ADF WNBL SEASON LAUNCHES NEXT WEEK
  2. ^ "A Record-Breaking Night". Basketball Australia. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Lauren Jackson limps off after barely a minute as WNBL crowd record broken in Flyers vs Flames clash". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  4. ^ Brooke (4 February 2023). "THE WNBL BREAKS ATTENDANCE RECORD AT JOHN CAIN ARENA". WNBL. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  5. ^ "ANNELI MALEY NAMED THE WNBL 2021/22 SUZY BATKOVIC MVP". WNBL. wnbl.basketball. 31 March 2022.
  6. ^ "Melbourne Boomers are the WNBL 2021/22 Champions". WNBL. wnbl.basketball. 9 April 2022.
  7. ^ "2021/22 ROBYN MAHER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR". WNBL. wnbl.basketball. 28 March 2022.
  8. ^ "2021/22 SIXTH WOMAN OF THE YEAR". WNBL. wnbl.basketball. 29 March 2022.
  9. ^ "2021/22 Betty Watson Youth Player of the Year". WNBL. wnbl.basketball. 25 March 2022.
  10. ^ "2021/22 WNBL COACH OF THE YEAR". WNBL. wnbl.basketball. 30 March 2022.
  11. ^ "The WNBL on Instagram". instagram.com.
  12. ^ "ALL-STAR WNBL FIRST AND SECOND TEAMS". WNBL. wnbl.basketball. 4 April 2022.
  13. ^ "WNBL to return to ABC TV". ABC News. 29 October 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.

External links Edit

  • Official website

women, national, basketball, league, philippine, basketball, league, philippines, wnbl, eminent, professional, women, basketball, league, australia, currently, composed, eight, teams, league, founded, 1981, women, counterpart, national, basketball, league, sev. For the Philippine basketball league see Women s National Basketball League Philippines The Women s National Basketball League WNBL is the pre eminent professional women s basketball league in Australia It is currently composed of eight teams The league was founded in 1981 and is the women s counterpart to the National Basketball League NBL Several WNBL teams have NBL counterparts The Adelaide Lightning Melbourne Boomers Perth Lynx Southside Flyers and Sydney Uni Flames are the current WNBL teams sharing a market with an NBL team the Townsville Fire and University of Canberra Capitals shared a market with the Townsville Crocodiles and Canberra Cannons respectively before both NBL clubs became defunct The current league champions are the Townsville Fire who won their fourth title in 2023 Women s National Basketball League WNBL Upcoming season or competition 2023 24 WNBL seasonFormerlyWomen s Interstate Basketball Conference WIBC 1981 SportBasketballFounded1981Inaugural season1981PresidentPaul MaleyNo of teams8Country AustraliaContinentFIBA Oceania Oceania Most recentchampion s Townsville Fire 4th title Most titlesCanberra Capitals 9 titles TV partner s ESPNStreaming partner s 9NowSponsor s Chemist WarehouseLevel on pyramid1Official websiteWNBL basketball Contents 1 History 1 1 Founding of the WNBL 1 2 1981 1985 early years 1 3 1986 1989 league expansion and growth 1 4 1990s continued growth 1 5 2000s 2 Current clubs 2 1 Former clubs 3 Season format 3 1 Regular season 3 2 WNBL finals 4 Players and Coaches 4 1 Milestones 4 2 Awards 4 2 1 Most recent award winners 2021 22 4 3 International influence 5 Television 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksHistory EditFounding of the WNBL Edit In August 1980 West Adelaide Bearcat Coach Ted Powell after an encouraging exchange of letters with St Kilda s Coach Bill Palmer called a meeting at the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel in Adelaide In attendance were Ted North Adelaide Coach Kay McFarlane and Noarlunga Coach Brendan Flynn At this meeting it was decided to approach three Victorian teams St Kilda CYMS and Nunawading with the idea of forming a home and away Interstate Competition The six teams delegates all met and confirmed the new League at the Town and Country Motel in Sydney during the 1980 Australian Club Championships The meeting resolved to form a two round competition between these teams to be held in July and August in 1981 The basis for the idea was that many of the top sides in both States wanted a varied competition from their standard State League as well as a suitable preparation for the Australian Club Championship which was held on an annual basis for the top 24 teams in the country There was also much excitement with the formation of the Men s National League in 1979 and the women felt that one of the best ways to develop the game was to provide more opportunities for the best players and clubs to play against each other more regularly A major consideration was finance and with this in mind the competition was formed with the six teams with a full home and away series between all teams with three games on one weekend to save costs The NSW based clubs of Bankstown and Sutherland were not happy to be left out due to costs and offered to pay their own way to Melbourne and Adelaide where they would play each team once for double points And so the WNBL was born Reference Boti Nagy High flyers women s basketball in Australia 1990 Sun Books In 1981 the Australian Institute of Sport AIS was also opened and the men s head coach Dr Adrian Hurley who was to lead the Australian Boomers in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics contacted the clubs and asked whether the AIS could also participate in the competition to commence later that year The nine teams in the inaugural season of the league were AIS Bankstown Bruins Catholic Young Men s Society CYMS Melbourne Telstars Noarlunga Tigers North Adelaide Rockets St Kilda Saints Sutherland Sharks and West Adelaide Bearcats The competition commenced on 19 June 1981 with the first game to be played in Adelaide between the AIS and West Adelaide The competition was called the Women s Interstate Basketball Conference with each team paying the sum of 25 to be a part of the WIBC giving a central fund of 200 to conduct the competition 1981 1985 early years Edit The inaugural winner was St Kilda who defeated the North Adelaide Rockets 77 58 St Kilda also went on to win the Victorian State Championship and the Australian Club Championship in Melbourne defeating Bankstown Bruins in the final St Kilda had three Australian representatives in Tracy Morris Karen Ogden and Patricia Cockrem Ogden became the national league s first dual Most Valuable Player award winner when she took the individual trophy in 1982 the first season it was presented and again in 1983 In 1982 the competition expanded into another state with the entry of a combined Brisbane team The new revised program saw Victorian teams travelling to NSW and AIS and NSW teams travelling to South Australia and South Australian teams travelling to Victoria It was not a full home and away competition but the beginnings of what was to come in the future The competition also changed its name to the more appropriate Women s Basketball League St Kilda repeated in 1982 with a grand final win over Bankstown the men s team also won the first two NBL titles which showed the strength of St Kilda at that time In 1983 Nunawading Spectres led by Robyn Maher easily defeated St Kilda and went on to win nine WNBL titles during the next 12 years During the 1983 Australian Club Championships a workshop was held to discuss women s basketball and from that meeting came the decision to bring together a second tier of clubs to form the Women s Conference There were now 20 women s teams playing in a home and away competition which immediately improved the standard of women s basketball in Australia With the NBL finally riding the crest of a sudden wave of popularity media interest in the women s league also was on the increase Most clubs were recognising the need to promote themselves and the image of the league Double header matches with the men s NBL and with South East Basketball League games a secondary men s interstate competition pushed the women s game before a wider spectator audience unfamiliar with the quality of women s basketball In 1985 the two competitions continued to work together to improve women s basketball and recognised the need to promote the competition and the individual clubs and athletes Hobart was winners of the second conference and was keen to enter the main competition however this was not to be until 1986 1986 1989 league expansion and growth Edit When Perth admitted a team for the 1986 Women s Basketball Conference the two women s leagues could rightfully claim that between them they had a truly national competition The Australian Basketball Federation approved the WBL s application to be renamed the National Women s Basketball League and a new era was underway 1986 was also the first year that the WNBL played its first full home and away competition and next year Perth sought a position in the number league Perth s inclusion was on the basis that they paid their own airfares in the first two years to earn their position Following the success of the Seoul Olympics the WNBL was ready to enter a new era and appointed Lyn Palmer in the newly created full time general manager position Lyn Palmer who had just retired after a distinguished playing career with St Kilda Nunawading and Coburg was looking for a change whilst her husband Bill was general manager of the men s NBL In 1989 the WNBL gained its first sponsorship in Pony one of Australia s leading sporting apparel companies at the time for 258 000 and ABC agreed to cover the finals series The women s game in Australia was on the move there were 13 teams in the WNBL for the 1989 season with the Bankstown Bruins changing their name to the Sydney Bruins to try to gain more market exposure in Australia s largest city 1990s continued growth Edit The next few years saw the league continue to grow with Australia being awarded the Women s World Championships in 1994 The pressure was now on to ensure that women s basketball gained a profile in the country and in 1993 the WNBL teams agreed to contribute some money to enable the game to be televised on a weekly basis by ABC This was the break through that the sport needed and also coincided with the Sydney Kings taking over the ownership of the Sydney Bruins and the formation of the Sydney Flames Coached by Carrie Graf the Flames became one of Australia s most popular women s sporting teams The Perth Breakers led the way with the bodysuit in the early 1990s whilst the Flames continued to modify the suit winning the title in 1993 and gaining back page coverage on the Sydney newspapers a feat never envisaged back in the early 1980s The 1990s were dominated by Sydney Melbourne Tigers Adelaide Lightning and Canberra The AIS won their first title in the first summer season of 1998 99 led by one of the best basketballers in the world Lauren Jackson Jan Morris continued as the President 10 years as President is recognised as an outstanding contribution to the WNBL of the League and in 1995 Leeanne Grantham nee Christie became the Chief Executive Throughout the mid late 1990s and into the early 2000s the WNBL brand became the most well known women s sport brand in Australia it was also recognised as one of the top 3 leading women s basketball leagues in the world The ABC televised weekly WNBL games and broadcast the 1994 Women s World Championships held in Australia this provided women s basketball with the type of profile required to help secure significant sponsorship enabling the League to reduce the travel pool and to continue to build on the WNBL Brand 2000s Edit nbsp WNBL teams the Logan Thunder in white and the University of Canberra Capitals in blue battle for the ball in a game on 20 January 2012 The ABC continued to televise the league despite some difficulties in mid 2001 when the ABC contemplated changing their televising of sport A successful partnership between the WNBL and Netball Australia subsequently saw both sports retained on ABC ABC undertook to increase their coverage by showing Friday night games live on ABC digital television as well as a replay in the regular Saturday afternoon slot The WNBL was very stable with eight teams for a number of seasons with Tasmania and Northern Territory not represented In 2006 Bendigo through the efforts of a strong community focus for women s basketball commenced discussions with Basketball Australia about entering a team for the 2007 08 season At the same time Basketball New Zealand had discussions with Basketball Australia about a team from New Zealand entering the next season In October 2006 the decision was made to welcome two new teams into the WNBL for the 2007 08 season in Bendigo Spirit and Christchurch Sirens 1 Bendigo brought excellent community support into the league whilst Christchurch had a number of the New Zealand Tall Ferns on their roster to begin One of the strategic objectives of the WNBL was to see a second team out of Queensland from the south and after some very effective feasibility work Logan Basketball Association were successful in being admitted into the 2008 09 season with the Logan Thunder In 2013 the Adelaide Lightning merged into a partnership with the NBL s Adelaide 36ers which sees the two clubs sharing management and marketing departments as well as use of the 8 000 seat Adelaide Arena the largest venue currently used in the WNBL The collaboration of WNBL and NBL teams from the same city is seen as a way of raising the public profile of both the WNBL and the Lightning with several Lightning home games played before 36ers games in cross promoted double headers ensuring the women s game often finishes in front of crowds in excess of 5 000 A February 2023 match between the Southside Flyers and the Sydney Flames drew a crowd of 7 681 which is the largest ever WNBL crowd 2 3 4 Current clubs EditMain article List of 2022 23 WNBL team rosters Club Colours City State Arena Capacity Founded Head Coach WNBLChampionships MostrecentAdelaide Lightning Navy Blue Red Yellow Adelaide nbsp South Australia Adelaide 36ers Arena 8 000 1992 nbsp Natalie Hurst 5 2008 15 years ago 2008 Bendigo Spirit Dodger Blue Yellow Bendigo nbsp Victoria Bendigo Stadium 4 000 2007 nbsp Kennedy Kereama 2 2014 9 years ago 2014 Canberra Capitals Light Blue Black Gold Canberra nbsp Australian Capital Territory AIS Arena 5 200 1986 nbsp Kristen Veal 9 2020 3 years ago 2020 Melbourne Boomers Purple Gold Melbourne nbsp Victoria Parkville Stadium 3 500 1984 nbsp Chris Lucas 2 2022 1 year ago 2022 Perth Lynx Red Black White Perth nbsp Western Australia Bendat Basketball Centre 2 000 1988 nbsp Ryan Petrik 1 1992 31 years ago 1992 Southside Flyers Aqua Navy White Dandenong nbsp Victoria State Basketball Centre 3 200 1992 nbsp Cheryl Chambers 4 2020 3 years ago 2020 Sydney Flames Black Silver and Gold Sydney nbsp New South Wales Qudos Bank Arena 18 000 1981 nbsp Shelley Gorman 4 2017 6 years ago 2017 Townsville Fire Black Orange Light Blue Townsville nbsp Queensland Townsville Entertainment Centre 5 257 2001 nbsp Shannon Seebohm 4 2023 0 years ago 2023 Former clubs Edit Adelaide City Comets 1992 Australian Institute of Sport AIS 1981 to 2011 12 Brisbane Blazers 1982 to 1998 Catholic Young Men s Society CYMS 1981 to 1982 Christchurch Sirens 2007 08 Coburg Cougars 1983 to 1990 Geelong Supercats 1986 Hobart Islanders 1986 to 1996 Logan Thunder 2008 09 to 2013 14 Melbourne Telstars 1981 Melbourne Tigers 1989 to 2000 01 Noarlunga Tigers 1981 to 1991 North Adelaide Rockets 1981 to 1991 Nunawading Spectres Melbourne East Spectres 1982 to 1991 South East Queensland Stars 2015 16 St Kilda Saints 1981 to 1985 Sutherland Sharks 1981 to 1986 West Adelaide Bearcats 1981 to 1992Season format EditRegular season Edit The WNBL regular season typically begins in early October and concludes in mid to late February During the regular season each team plays 24 games 12 home and away Each team plays each other at least three times and some of the teams four times The top four teams in on the Championship ladder move on to the WNBL Finals usually taking place in March After April teams hold training camps Training camps allow the coaching staff to prepare the players for the regular season and determine the roster with which they will begin the regular season After training camp a series of preseason exhibition games are held WNBL finals Edit Main article List of WNBL champions The top four teams at the end of the regular season advances to the finals The teams finishing in the first and second positions at the completion of the regular season receive home advantage in their three game first round match up against the teams finishing in fourth and third positions respectively The winners of these series advance to the grand final With home advantage being awarded to the highest remaining seed the winner of the three game grand final series is crowned as WNBL champion The WNBL finals1980s Season Champions Runners up Format Result Finals MVPTeam Coach Team Coach1981 St Kilda Saints North Adelaide Rockets Kay McFarlane Single game 77 58 N A1982 St Kilda Saints Bankstown Bruins Robbie Cadee Single game 63 56 N A1983 Nunawading Spectres Tom Maher St Kilda Saints Single game 70 46 N A1984 Nunawading Spectres Tom Maher West Adelaide Bearcats Ted Powell Single game 78 65 N A1985 Coburg Cougars Noarlunga Tigers Jim Madigan Single game 73 71 Karin Maar1986 Nunawading Spectres Australian Institute of Sport Single game 62 51 Shelley Gorman1987 Nunawading Spectres Tom Maher Coburg Cougars Single game 67 59 Tracey Browning1988 Nunawading Spectres Tom Maher North Adelaide Rockets Kay McFarlane Single game 71 43 Shelley Gorman1989 Nunawading Spectres Tom Maher Hobart Islanders Single game 80 69 Robyn Maher1990s Season Champions Runners up Format Result Finals MVPTeam Coach Team Coach1990 North Adelaide Rockets Mark Molitor Hobart Islanders Single game 72 57 Donna Brown1991 Hobart Islanders Nunawading Spectres Single game 67 64 Debbie Black1992 Perth Breakers Tom Maher Dandenong Rangers Alex Palazzolo Single game 58 54 Tanya Fisher1993 Sydney Flames Carrie Graf Perth Breakers Guy Molloy Single game 65 64 Annie Burgess1994 Adelaide Lightning Jan Stirling Melbourne Tigers Ray Tomlinson Single game 84 77 Rachael Sporn1995 Adelaide Lightning Jan Stirling Melbourne Tigers Ray Tomlinson Single game 50 43 Rachael Sporn1996 Adelaide Lightning Jan Stirling Sydney Flames Carrie Graf Single game 80 65 Michelle Brogan1997 Sydney Flames Bill Tomlinson Adelaide Lightning Jan Stirling Single game 61 56 Trisha Fallon1998 Adelaide Lightning Jan Stirling Sydney Flames Murray Wardle Single game 67 56 Jo Hill1998 99 Australian Institute of Sport Phil Brown Perth Breakers Murray Treseder Single game 88 79 Kristen Veal2000s Season Champions Runners up Format Result Finals MVPTeam Coach Team Coach1999 00 Canberra Capitals Carrie Graf Adelaide Lightning Jan Stirling Single game 67 50 Kristen Veal2000 01 Sydney Panthers Karen Dalton Canberra Capitals Carrie Graf Single game 67 50 Annie Burgess2001 02 Canberra Capitals Carrie Graf Sydney Flames Karen Dalton Single game 75 69 Lauren Jackson2002 03 Canberra Capitals Tom Maher Sydney Flames Karen Dalton Single game 69 67 Lauren Jackson2003 04 Dandenong Rangers Gary Fox Sydney Uni Flames Karen Dalton Single game 65 53 Emily McInerny2004 05 Dandenong Rangers Gary Fox Sydney Uni Flames Karen Dalton Single game 52 47 Jacinta Hamilton2005 06 Canberra Capitals Carrie Graf Dandenong Rangers Gary Fox Single game 68 55 Lauren Jackson2006 07 Canberra Capitals Carrie Graf Sydney Uni Flames Karen Dalton Single game 73 59 Tracey Beatty2007 08 Adelaide Lightning Vicki Valk Sydney Uni Flames Karen Dalton Single game 92 82 Renae Camino2008 09 Canberra Capitals Carrie Graf Bulleen Boomers Cheryl Chambers Single game 61 58 Natalie Hurst2010s Season Champions Runners up Format Result Finals MVPTeam Coach Team Coach2009 10 Canberra Capitals Carrie Graf Bulleen Boomers Tom Maher Single game 75 70 Lauren Jackson2010 11 Bulleen Boomers Tom Maher Canberra Capitals Carrie Graf Single game 103 78 Sharin Milner2011 12 Dandenong Rangers Mark Wright Bulleen Boomers Tom Maher Single game 94 70 Kathleen MacLeod2012 13 Bendigo Spirit Bernie Harrower Townsville Fire Chris Lucas Single game 71 57 Kelsey Griffin2013 14 Bendigo Spirit Bernie Harrower Townsville Fire Chris Lucas Single game 94 83 Kelsey Griffin2014 15 Townsville Fire Chris Lucas Bendigo Spirit Bernie Harrower Single game 75 65 Mia Newley2015 16 Townsville Fire Chris Lucas Perth Lynx Andy Stewart Best of three 2 0 Micaela Cocks2016 17 Sydney Uni Flames Cheryl Chambers Dandenong Rangers Larissa Anderson Best of three 2 0 Leilani Mitchell2017 18 Townsville Fire Claudia Brassard Melbourne Boomers Guy Molloy Best of three 2 1 Suzy Batkovic2018 19 Canberra Capitals Paul Goriss Adelaide Lightning Chris Lucas Best of three 2 1 Kelsey Griffin2020s Season Champions Runners up Format Result Finals MVPTeam Coach Team Coach2019 20 Canberra Capitals Paul Goriss Southside Flyers Cheryl Chambers Best of three 2 0 Olivia Epoupa2020 Southside Flyers Cheryl Chambers Townsville Fire Shannon Seebohm Single game 99 82 Leilani Mitchell2021 22 Melbourne Boomers Guy Molloy Perth Lynx Ryan Petrik Best of three 2 1 Lindsay Allen2022 23 Townsville Fire Shannon Seebohm Southside Flyers Cheryl Chambers Best of three 2 0 Tianna HawkinsPlayers and Coaches EditOver the years the success of the Opals has been vitally linked to the success of the WNBL The WNBL has seen the development of famous Opals such as Robyn Maher Michele Timms Karen Dalton Rachael Sporn Shelley Sandie Julie Nykiel Jenny Whittle Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor All have represented Australia with distinction and been key performers season after season for their clubs Milestones Edit Main article WNBL records Milestone Player Team Date InformationMost career points Rachael Sporn Adelaide 1993 2004 5 823 pointsMost career rebounds Rachael Sporn Adelaide 1993 2004 3 229 reboundsMost career assists Kristen Veal AIS Canberra Sydney Logan Melbourne 1997 2016 1 617 assistsMost career blocks Jenny Whittle AIS Brisbane Perth Bulleen Canberra Adelaide 1989 2009 672 blocksMost career steals Tully Bevilaqua Perth Canberra 1991 2011 722 stealsMost career three points made Belinda Snell AIS Sydney Bendigo 1998 2019 605 three points madeMost career games played Kelly Wilson AIS Sydney Townsville Bendigo Canberra 2002 present 395 games playedAwards Edit Main article List of WNBL awards The Most Valuable Player Award is given to player deemed the most valuable for her team that season The Grand Final Most Valuable Player Award is given to player deemed the most valuable for her team in the finals The Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the most outstanding first year player The Defensive Player of the Year Award is awarded to the league s best defender The Top Shooter of the Year Award is given to the player who averages the most points at the conclusion of the regular season The Coach of the Year Award is awarded to the coach that has made the most positive difference to a team Also named are the All Star Five the most valuable and best performing players of each season Most recent award winners 2021 22 Edit Award Winner Position TeamMost Valuable Player Anneli Maley Forward Bendigo Spirit 5 Grand Final MVP Lindsay Allen Guard Melbourne Boomers 6 Defensive Player of the Year Brittney Sykes Guard Canberra Capitals 7 Sixth Woman of the Year Kristy Wallace Guard Southside Flyers 8 Youth Player of the Year Ezi Magbegor Forward Melbourne Boomers 9 Coach of the Year Ryan Petrik Coach Perth Lynx 10 Leading Scorer Award Anneli Maley Forward Bendigo Spirit 11 Leading Rebounder Award Anneli Maley Forward Bendigo SpiritGolden Hands Award Brittney Sykes Guard Canberra CapitalsAll WNBL First Team Jackie Young Guard Perth Lynx 12 Brittney Sykes Guard Canberra CapitalsStephanie Talbot Guard Adelaide LightningAnneli Maley Forward Bendigo SpiritEzi Magbegor Forward Center Melbourne BoomersAll WNBL Second Team Lindsay Allen Guard Melbourne BoomersMarina Mabrey Guard Perth LynxKelsey Griffin Forward Canberra CapitalsAlanna Smith Forward Adelaide LightningCayla George Forward Center Melbourne BoomersInternational influence Edit Main articles List of international WNBL players and List of Australian WNBA players The WNBL has been a major stepping stone for Australians to become noticed in European leagues and the WNBA in the United States It has also attracted a number of players from English speaking countries who supplement their WNBA salaries by playing in the league This is possible because the WNBA conducts its season in the Northern Hemisphere summer which is the off season for most basketball leagues throughout the world including the WNBL A number of international players have played in the WNBL such as nbsp Chelsea Aubry Canada long time member amp two time champion with the Bendigo Spirit nbsp Alana Beard United States with the Canberra Capitals nbsp Micaela Cocks New Zealand three time champion with the Townsville Fire nbsp Shanavia Dowdell United States with the Townsville Fire nbsp Olivia Epoupa France one time champion with the Canberra Capitals nbsp Antonia Farnworth United States with the Perth Lynx nbsp Ruth Hamblin Canada with the Perth Lynx amp Adelaide Lightning nbsp Laurie Koehn United States with the Melbourne Boomers nbsp Betnijah Laney United States with the Perth Lynx Bendigo Spirit amp Dandenong Rangers nbsp Jo Leedham Great Britain with the Bulleen Boomers nbsp Angela Marino New Zealand with the Canberra Capitals Perth Lynx amp Adelaide Lightning nbsp Kia Nurse Canada first international MVP amp two time champion with the Canberra Capitals nbsp Krista Phillips Canada one time champion with the Dandenong Rangers nbsp Cappie Pondexter United States with the Dandenong Rangers nbsp Qiu Chen China with the Canberra Capitals nbsp Julie Vanloo Belgium with the Townsville Fire Television EditABC held the rights from the inaugural season in 1981 until they axed their coverage in the 2014 15 season Fox Sports picked up the rights for the 2017 18 season after two seasons without television coverage The 2020 season has returned to the screens of the ABC along with Fox Sports and Kayo 13 ESPN picked up the rights for the 2022 23 season with 9Now streaming every remaining game See also Edit nbsp Australia portal nbsp Basketball portalAustralian Basketball Association Basketball Australia Basketball in Australia National Basketball League State Basketball League Timeline of women s basketballReferences Edit ADF WNBL SEASON LAUNCHES NEXT WEEK A Record Breaking Night Basketball Australia Retrieved 2 June 2023 Lauren Jackson limps off after barely a minute as WNBL crowd record broken in Flyers vs Flames clash ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation 4 February 2023 Retrieved 2 June 2023 Brooke 4 February 2023 THE WNBL BREAKS ATTENDANCE RECORD AT JOHN CAIN ARENA WNBL Retrieved 2 June 2023 ANNELI MALEY NAMED THE WNBL 2021 22 SUZY BATKOVIC MVP WNBL wnbl basketball 31 March 2022 Melbourne Boomers are the WNBL 2021 22 Champions WNBL wnbl basketball 9 April 2022 2021 22 ROBYN MAHER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR WNBL wnbl basketball 28 March 2022 2021 22 SIXTH WOMAN OF THE YEAR WNBL wnbl basketball 29 March 2022 2021 22 Betty Watson Youth Player of the Year WNBL wnbl basketball 25 March 2022 2021 22 WNBL COACH OF THE YEAR WNBL wnbl basketball 30 March 2022 The WNBL on Instagram instagram com ALL STAR WNBL FIRST AND SECOND TEAMS WNBL wnbl basketball 4 April 2022 WNBL to return to ABC TV ABC News 29 October 2020 Retrieved 24 November 2020 External links EditOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Women 27s National Basketball League amp oldid 1169606569, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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