Women’s basketball receives major boost with Fox Sports on board to broadcast live WNBL games

WOMEN’S basketball in Australia has received a major boost with Fox Sports on board to broadcast live WNBL games.

Women’s basketball has been given a much-deserved boost. Photo: Tom Huntley

WOMEN’S basketball in Australia has received a major boost with Fox Sports on board to broadcast live WNBL games.

The breakthrough three-year partnership to be unveiled today between Basketball Australia and Fox Sports ends a two-year broadcast blackout.

Under the agreement, Fox Sports will broadcast at least one game live each week and the best-of-three semi-final and championship series.

The ABC dumped the sport in 2014-15 due to budget cuts, ending a 35-year association.

The revamped WNBL season will run for 16 weeks from October to January.

Head of the WNBL Sally Phillips said the “surreal” partnership with Fox Sports will help the league regain lost visibility.

Women’s basketball has been given a much-deserved boost. Photo: Tom Huntley

“I’m thrilled to be able to get in front of the girls that play every week and say you are back on TV,” Phillips said. “Unfortunately you fall off the radar a little bit (without TV deal).

“It’s definitely important for us that we weren’t forgotten — two years off TV, if we had have gone a third the damage could almost be irreparable.”

Phillips said the athletes could again be “really proud” of the world-class WNBL, the longest running elite women’s competition in the country.

The eight-team league which includes Victorian-based franchises Melbourne Boomers, Dandenong Rangers and Bendigo Spirit hopes the TV deal will help close the gap to cashed-up rivals AFLW, WBBL and Super Netball.

Fox Sports chief executive Patrick Delany lauded the partnership which puts women’s basketball in Australia back on the map.

“For too long the league has been invisible with no broadcast partner,” Delany said. “Fans around the country will be able to watch these athletes live in action.”