‘Very close’: Why Silverdome upgrades could rubber stamp Tassie WNBL bid

Further upgrades to Launceston’s maligned Silverdome is ‘beautiful timing’ as the JackJumpers look to rubber stamp their promising bid for a WNBL team. Get the latest from the Jackies’ boss.

(L-R) Jeremy Rockliff, Premier of Tasmania, Christine Finnegan Co-Chief Executive Officer, Larry Kestelman, NBL Owner pose for a photo after the JackJumpers won the NBL championship last year. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Upgrades to the Silverdome could be the final piece of the puzzle to rubber stamp a near-certain WNBL team in northern Tasmania as the JackJumpers prepare to present their official submission to league bosses.

The elevation of state government funding to improve Launceston’s dilapidated Silverdome, where the men play two games per year, from $8 million to $12 million, is a timely gift for JackJumpers CEO Christine Finnegan before she looks to close the deal next month.

The club has been on record stating their preference is for the women’s team and support staff to be based primarily in the state’s north, with most games played there and some in Hobart.

“I’ve been on record stating if we were to be granted a WNBL license I’d like to see a lot of those games played in the north,” Finnegan said.

“To have facility upgrades like this now, it’s beautiful timing because I have to put a submission into the NBL by mid-March on the WNBL and I can now go onto them and say those upgrades will be done in time.”

CEO of Tasmania JackJumpers Christine Finnegan was a panel guest at the Jack Jumpers and Blundstone Leaders locker room. Picture: Linda Higginson / Solstice Digital

Asked how close the WNBL franchise was to coming to fruition, Finnegan said “getting very close.”

The Silverdome upgrades shore up the JackJumpers’ men’s future in the city, with the NBL adamant they would abandon the facility if upgrades didn’t occur.

But it also makes a WNBL bid far more enticing. The embattled league has transitioned to a new ownership consortium including the NBL, Wollemi Capital and Basketball Australia.

Before a JackJumpers game at the Silverdome in November, NBL and club owner Larry Kestelman said the state’s northern region, where the sport is thriving, is an attractive spot for a WNBL team.

“I couldn’t help but think Tasmania and the JackJumpers is a logical place for us to assess,” he said.

“We’ve had a positive reception from the government after a number of conversations, in particular how do we bring as much basketball as possible to Tasmania.

“We play as many games as we can here (Launceston) with the JackJumpers, but our thoughts are if we can reverse the situation and have the current women’s team based here in the north and maybe even the north-west, and also play some games in the south, it’s a great opportunity.”

Finnegan reiterated her preference for a potential WNBL team to begin in the 2026-27 season, to give them the time required to build the solid foundation critical to the men’s championship-winning success.

Townsville’s Alex Fowler of the Fire takes a shot against Perth in the WNBL. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

“We certainly would (accept a license for next season if required), but I would like a longer runway and to prepare the same way we did for the men,” she said.

“We want to make sure we’re building the back end of the program before we get to the front end.

“If we have to do it in a shorter time frame we’ve got experience in turning things around quickly, but it’s certainly not my preference. I’ve been clear with the NBL that it will take us 18 months to get it up and running properly.

“I have no idea because I’m not the decision maker, but I hope it’s sitting around 80-20 (per cent) that we have a longer runway.

“Certainly I’ve expressed that to (Wollemi Capital Group founder) Robyn Denholm and Larry personally that I don’t want it to stand in the way of us getting a license, but we want it to have the same chance of success as the men have had.

“For us to do that we have to build a robust program in the background. We have to get coaches in and they have to decide what team they want to build, and then recruit. If we get a shorter runway, we’ll be reactive rather than proactive.”

Finnegan said their proven ability to successfully start a franchise from scratch is a major bargaining tool in their WNBL quest.

“In the men’s game they are saying the JackJumpers are the blueprint for expansion. We’ve done it with the support of government and infrastructure, being able to stand on our own two feet commercially, and of course the team has done what it’s done,” she said.

“All things together it’s something they see as a success story on and off the court, and it is a model they want to take forward.

“I’m thinking if they want this to be the blueprint for expansion in the men’s, then surely they want it to be the blueprint for the women as well.”

Finnegan said the state’s north west also deserves to host some WNBL games given the regions’ remarkable track record of producing talent.

Current Australian age representatives Lucy Aherne, Nash Walker and Jacob Furphy all hail from the area, as does Cairns Taipan and NBA hopeful Taran Armstrong.

Funding has been allocated for a multisport centre at Devonport which would meet the requirements to host WNBL games.

“There’s a lot to play out but the north west would absolutely be a venue we’d love to play games in,” Finnegan said.

“They’re building a facility that’s both federal and state funded that would allow us to play games there, with a showcourt with 2000 to 3000 (capacity).

“I think we need to reward our north west corridor for the amount of talent they produce. It’s always been basketball heartland, so to reward them with more basketball of a professional level would be something I’d be quite happy about.”