WNBL news: Future of WNBL in doubt as owners clash with Basketball Australia

In what looms as a flashpoint in the WNBL’s 43-year history, bleeding club owners have united to fight Basketball Australia over the league’s future. And it’s getting messy.

TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 18: Monique Conti of the Flyers drives up court during game one of the WNBL Grand Final Series between Townsville Fire and Southside Flyers at Townsville Entertainment Centre, on March 18, 2023, in Townsville, Australia. (Photo by Emily Barker/Getty Images)

War over the future of the WNBL has broken out between Basketball Australia and club owners — and the perennially-underpaid players have been caught in the crossfire.

In what looms as a flashpoint in the WNBL’s 43-year history, the majority of the eight club owners, who bled almost $5 million last season, have united in a bid to force BA to relinquish control of the struggling league.

The stalemate has left more than 50 uncontracted players in limbo after free agency, which was due to begin on April 10, was postponed.

Shock figures seen by News Corp show the eight clubs combined lost almost $5 million in the 2022-23 season — total expenditure exceeded $12 million, against revenue of just over $7 million. The figures show BA’s loss on its near $2.7 million investment amounted to around $530,000.

This was despite the league touting the highest regular-season attendance in the competition’s history of over 125,000, club membership jumping almost 70 per cent, and an estimated audience reach in excess of 120 million.

The players — historically underpaid in a league that, a little over four decades ago, blazed a trail for women’s sport in Australia — want a significant increase on the minimum wage, which is currently $15,000.

The WNBL has hit a crisis in its funding. Picture: Emily Barker/Getty Images

But, as BA negotiates a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Australian Basketball Players’ Association, Southside Flyers’ owner and long-time champion of women’s basketball Gerry Ryan said the heavy losses incurred by the clubs, coupled with a lack of vision for the league’s future made salary increases untenable.

Owners want an NBL-style private takeover from an investor with the funding, passion and commercial know-how to turn the league around.

“You’ve got to think commercially. They’re (BA) great at running the sport, but … I’ve always said we’re in the entertainment industry, the segment happens to be sport and the product happens to be basketball,” Ryan said.

“You look at what (owner) Larry’s (Kestelman) done with the men … Basketball Australia and the owners have got to come to an agreement on the ownership and the vision and the pathway forward for the WNBL.

“If it doesn’t, certainly, the owners can’t always keep dipping in. I’ve got a simple saying: ‘keep doing the same thing, you get the same result’. The WNBL has been doing the same thing for 10 years.

“My priority and that of the other owners is to get the minimum wage up. If we can expand the sport, the fanbase, we can afford to pay more.

“But we’re well behind other sports. We want to grow the sport so that we can invest in the future, not just try to make budgets each year.

“At the end of the day, it’s a pathway for the Opals. It has to happen.”

News Corp contacted several players — all were either hesitant to speak on the issue or did not reply — but the prevailing feeling across the playing cohort is one of frustration that the majority cannot make anywhere close to a living out of the elite league.

ABPA chief executive Jacob Holmes said the union agreed to postpone the free agency period, but stressed the delay “must be short and the key areas (of a new agreement) finalised as soon as possible.”

“The ABPA has provided a clear proposal to the WNBL and clubs to enable the 2023-24 free agency period to commence, while CBA negotiations continue in their fullness in an effort to reach a new CBA for 2023-24 and beyond,” Holmes said in a statement to News Corp.

“Our proposal recognises the position of the WNBL and clubs and is aimed at growing the WNBL and improving players’ conditions.

“The ABPA will always represent the best interests of Australian players as well as Australian basketball.”

Lauren Jackson with Val and Gerry Ryan

Five of the eight WNBL clubs, in the past five years, have changed hands — some more than once — in a game of ownership musical chairs and, while matches can be streamed, live free-to-air broadcasts are non-existent.

The NBL almost died out under BA’s stewardship and, while it is still working its way toward profitability, the men’s league has spearheaded basketball’s rise as the biggest growth sport in Australia since billionaire Kestelman’s 2015 takeover. NBL team salary caps have nearly doubled in that time.

Owners believe the WNBL has similar growth prospects, but want immediate, large-scale change.

The owners, in March, engaged external consultants to explore options for attracting private investment. BA has brought in its own outside consultants, Alacria, who are “reviewing the overall performance of the league and making recommendations for the future, including potential investment models in the WNBL.”

BA chief executive Matt Scriven (right). Picture: Supplied/Channel 9/David Cook

“BA are committed to increasing player benefits by accelerating the growth of all elements of the league including investment through commercial, government and broadcast,” BA chief executive Matt Scriven said in a statement.

News Corp has been told BA has held firm to the ownership bloc it would not give up its controlling stake in the WNBL. The owners believe that would limit any potential prospects of a major player taking an interest in the league, given any businessperson willing to invest such a significant amount of capital would likely seek to make sweeping changes to shape its direction.

Ryan remained hopeful the ownership group and BA could come to amicable terms.

“I hope that it’s not a wrestle, I hope that we can all work together,” Ryan said.

“At the end of the day, I want to see the WNBL reach the heights it has the potential to.”

Originally published as WNBL news: Future of WNBL in doubt as owners clash with Basketball Australia