Cities Circle NBL Expansion

NBL CEO David Stevenson has revealed interest from potential expansion teams has never been higher.

The league’s rapid growth has created a slew of cities keen to join the NBL, with the likes of Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast, Newcastle, and more all mooted as potential expansion destinations.

In an interview with NBL Media, Stevenson, who officially starts as league CEO in July, said the strong state of the league has helped the expansion interest.

“The interest in new teams has been the highest it has ever been in our time,” Stevenson said.

“People from every state in Australia, in New Zealand, and across the globe, are interested. They’re taking notice of what is happening here, and they want to be a part of this growth story.”

Stevenson outlined the three key pillars to any potential expansion bid.

“You need one - strong fan support. The fans are the lifeblood of our game, so we want to make sure we look for those opportunities to create more fans and connect with them deeply,” he said.

“Second is facilities, and that’s two-fold. One is the venue, got to make sure we have a state-of-the-art venue that is going to fulfil the expectations our fans have.

“Secondly are the training facilities for that team to make sure from a high-performance point of view, they can fulfil their potential. The government becomes those key partners, whether that’s at the state level, the federal level, or the local council.

“Third is the corporate support. We know it is expensive to run an NBL team. To be able to create the ticket prices to be at a reasonable level, to be able to attract high quality players that we know move the dial, we need to have great commercial partners.”

Stevenson also stressed the importance of a new team starting strong, like recent expansions sides South East Melbourne Phoenix and Tasmania JackJumpers have.

The CEO said no timeline has been placed on expansion.