DEC proponents say NBL bosses will be shocked by the advanced state of Tasmania’s bid to join the league

THE entrepreneur bankrolling Tasmania’s NBL bid believes the business case the consortium will present to the league for a licence is simply too bombproof to ignore

Justin Hickey, outside the Derwent Entertainment Centre, is throwing his money behind the state's NBL bid. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

THE entrepreneur bankrolling Tasmania’s NBL bid believes the business case the consortium will present to the league for a licence is simply too bombproof to ignore.

Speaking publicly for the first time in an exclusive interview with the Mercury, Tasmanian Justin Hickey has no doubt the state’s push covers all the required criteria to be a sustainable and successful model.

Hickey and his associates have been working feverishly behind the scenes, with announcements on major ticket items such as branding expected in the coming weeks.

And the former Hobart Hornet and NBL Devils squad member is adamant the plans will make not only NBL powerbrokers, but the rest of the country take notice.

“They are going to be in for a rude shock in the next couple of weeks when it all gets launched,” Hickey said.

“I don’t think they quite understand how far down the path we are, how much money we have got and what we have done in business as well,” he said.

“We are not boy scouts, we know what we are doing, we have built businesses from scratch that have got $70 and $100 million market caps.

“We live and breathe this stuff all day. I think they will be pleasantly surprised as to the business model.

“The next couple of weeks are just letting the NBL know who we are and what the plans are and we absolutely know what we are doing.

“We have the money, and we have people from interstate who have Tassie connections that are really going to drive this thing home.”

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The Mercury revealed last week one of Hickey’s businesses, Hydraplay Pty Ltd, had put in an unsolicited offer to buy the Derwent Entertainment Centre and adjacent land from the Glenorchy City Council.

Should a sale be agreed to it would form an important part of the business case — no other team in the league owns its own stadium — but it is the vision of creating an entire sport and entertainment complex which Hickey believes will provide the blueprint for sustainability.

“What we are doing is setting it up to make sure it is sustainable long term and they [the NBL] can see that. Ultimately these guys are accountants and businessmen that are running the show,” he said.

“How many national sport franchises have we had down here that have failed? One of the reasons they have failed is they haven’t really had a strong business case.

“If the numbers are down, they run out of money and then they fold.

“We will have a long term revenue stream vision so that in 20 years’ time when Dave [Bartlett] is not the chairman any more and I’m retired or whatever, the thing still ticks along because we have multiple revenue streams from things like hotels and merchandising and owning the ticketing system.”