NBL settles on home for ninth team

The NBL has confirmed that the ninth team in the competition will be based in south east Melbourne.

NBL CEO Jeremy Loeliger: ‘The investment in the State Basketball Centre and Melbourne Arena makes south east Melbourne the ideal location for the next NBL team’

The NBL has confirmed that the ninth team in the competition will be based in southeast Melbourne.

The yet-to-be-named franchise will play games at Melbourne Arena starting in the 2019-20 season.

“This is an exciting moment for the NBL as we announce a second team in Melbourne,” NBL chief executive Jeremy Loeliger said yesterday. The NBL announced in July that Romie Chaudhari, co-owner of English soccer team Swansea City, had been awarded a licence.

“We said when we granted the licence for a ninth team that its location would depend on having access to first-class training, administrative and playing facilities,” Loeliger said.

“The investment in the State Basketball Centre and Melbourne Arena makes southeast Melbourne the ideal location for the next NBL team.”

The Australian Basketball Centre of Excellence will move from Canberra to Melbourne’s southeast and state and local governments have promised funding to expand facilities.

AAP