Ringwood Hawks relishing the challenge of a step up to the new state elite league
Last week, the Ringwood Hawks were announced as one of the 18 foundation license holders for the new senior elite men’s and women’s league.
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After another great season on-court, the good news keeps rolling in for the Ringwood Hawks.
Last week, the Hawks were announced as one of the 18 foundation license holders for the new senior elite men’s and women’s league, which is set to commence in March.
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Basketball Victoria will manage the new league, which is yet to be officially named, and will feature all the existing Victorian SEABL clubs — Albury-Wodonga, Ballarat, Bendigo, Dandenong, Diamond Valley, Frankston, Geelong, Kilsyth, Melbourne Tigers, Nunawading and Sandringham — plus Eltham, Waverley, Knox and Ringwood from the Big V. Tasmanian teams Hobart, North West Tasmania (men) and Launceston (women) have also been admitted along with Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence.
Hawks president Tim Mottin was very happy to receive the good news last Wednesday.
“Our club has done some great work in recent years, not just on the court but off the court as well,” he said. “This is a reward for all that hard work and we can now provide Hawks kids with a real opportunity to play basketball at the second highest level in Australia.”
The new league was fast tracked by Basketball Victoria after the SEABL was shut down in August, leaving teams in limbo until last week’s announcement.
It is believed that as many as 24 clubs submitted proposals before the final 18 were selected.
Hawks men’s head coach Ken Harrington was also excited by the news and quickly pointed out the local rivalries that will now be well worth the price of admission.
“There is going to be some unbelievably entertaining battles in the elite league,” he said. “With games against rival clubs like Nunawading, Dandenong and Kilsyth, it will create a lot of excitement and also provide our teams with the biggest challenge they have faced in a long time. As we always do, we will compete hard and the club is excited by the new challenge.”
With the new league now in place, the Hawks will look to strengthen their playing stocks with player announcements over the coming weeks. Both the men’s and women’s teams will start pre-season in January.
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