Basketball Australia boss Matt Scriven floats plan for large-scale change to ensure future of WNBL
In his first interview since it was revealed clubs held concerns over the future of the WNBL, Chief executive Matt Scriven has answered all the tough questions on the future of the league.
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Basketball Australia’s boss has outlined the “massive fundamental shift” behind a bold plan to rejuvenate — and eventually expand — the struggling WNBL.
Chief executive Matt Scriven, in his first interview since clubs, in late April, revealed to Code Sports they held concerns over the future of the WNBL, said BA had resolved to separate the women’s league from its operations.
BA, as part of a three-way joint venture, will seek private investors with the commercial and media skills to turbocharge the flailing league.
It will also give the clubs a share, while retaining its own interest.
“The board and BA is 150 per cent committed to this,” Scriven told Code Sports.
“We have a moment in time in this sport and that moment is now.
“It’s, fundamentally, a massive shift for us, but it’s the right thing to do for the league, the players and the clubs.”
The four-decades-old WNBL, which bled more than $5 million last season, has long been a department of BA, which has resources stretched across the Boomers, Opals, state-based governing bodies, participation and pathways and other elite teams and competitions.
But, under the plan, Scriven said the WNBL would be governed by an independent board charged solely with the day-to-day operations and future sustainability of the league and its clubs.
Owners have been pushing for BA to give up its controlling stake in the league but Scriven said that structure was still to be determined: “BA will own x, private investors own y and the clubs own z and, once we’ve determined that, the second part then is going to market to find the right investor.”
He said there had been no shortage of interest in the WNBL with several potential investors in contact with BA, seeking a better understanding of its potential.
NBL owner Larry Kestelman and property developer Pelligra, which owns the WNBL’s Adelaide Lightning, have also publicly flagged interest.
“The important part is getting the right partner in with the skill and expertise to grow the league,” Scriven said.
“What’s the fan engagement? The digital strategy? The consumer interaction? Commercial strategy? Fan and game experience and the storytelling of basketball?
“We’ve had two private equity firms reach out globally and another four-five others, without us being proactive.
“There is a lot of interest around women’s sport and there’s a lot of interest around basketball.”
BA, in January, engaged consultants Alacria to probe the state of the WNBL and compare its performance and structures to other similar leagues, both local and international. It looked at the ALeagues, Major League Soccer, AFLW and New Zealand Rugby, among others. That work has informed BA’s new path.
“When you look at the on-court activity, the quality is good but there’s not enough investment around resourcing, marketing and promotion of the league, that’s where it really shows, commercially, we’re not where we should be,” he said.
Owners and players have long agitated for large-scale change in the WNBL that they say has not materialised, but Scriven, who was appointed CEO in July 2021, urged them to give BA the chance to get it right.
“I know a few clubs will sit there and go ‘Oh, BA’s been here before, we’ve talked about this before, and nothing’s happened’,” Scriven said.
“But we’re on a journey of rebuilding trust. If we say we’re going to do something, we do it, and that’s been an absolute focus for us, right across the board.
“We’ve done the work (on the WNBL), we’re now working on the next steps around structural change, we’ll then get the investment and then we’ll launch.”
Scriven said the process would be extensive but BA was moving quickly, directing a full-time person to work on creating the new business, which he expected to be done before the November 1 start of the new WNBL season.
“This is a daily thing for us — we are putting time and resources into it and it’s going to move at speed
“Then we’ll go to market. It has its challenges at the moment, but there’s been no more exciting time in the WNBL than right now.
“We’ll continue to work on improving league awareness, commercialisation and attendances this season and then we’ll see a fundamental shift and real impact in 2024-25.”
Scriven said a new Collective Bargaining Agreement — which initially prompted owners to go public with their concerns — was close. It will be limited to a one-year term, giving the new entity the opportunity to carry out negotiations with the Australian Basketball Players’ Association next off-season.
The league, on Tuesday, unveiled key details of the 2023-24 season, with pre-season games beginning on September 11 before round 1 on November 1. Teams will play each other three times (21 games per team, 84-game season). The full fixture will be released on July 12.
Five of the eight WNBL clubs, in the past five years, have changed hands — some more than once — and Code Sports revealed last month Basketball WA was attempting to find new ownership for Perth Lynx.
Scriven hoped the BA shift would transform the league and flagged future expansion.
“We’ve had a lot of investment partners reach out from different regions around the country saying ‘I want to buy a licence’,” he said.
“I think (we can grow to) 10 teams — there’s huge growth in women’s sport and there’s appetite there.”
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Originally published as Basketball Australia boss Matt Scriven floats plan for large-scale change to ensure future of WNBL
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