Loeliger Gives Expansion Update

The NBL has the “scope” to expand to 14 teams in the future, according to Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger. 

The growth of the NBL has been highlighted in recent years, with the successful introduction of the South East Melbourne Phoenix and Tasmania JackJumpers. 

Chatting with Craig O’Donoghue on The Dribble Podcast, Jeremy Loeliger shared his thoughts on future expansion opportunities. 

“We’re very conscious of the fact that demand for NBL basketball is at an all-time high,” Loeliger said.

“One of the things that sets us apart as a national professional league is that we don’t need 25,000 people (in the crowd) every week in order to make this thing sustainable. 

“We can go into smaller areas, and we’ve demonstrated that we can be successful, and we did exactly that with Tasmania. 

“I think there’s scope to get to 14 in the fullness of time…whether or not we get there in the next decade remains to be seen.”

Loeliger mentioned the potential of a second team in Western Australia as an option in the future.

“There’s so many fans of the Wildcats and that it means if you introduce a second team, none of those loyal fans surely are going to turn their back on the Wildcats and support the opposition,” he said.

“But then again, you look at the AFL model and you’ve got the West Coast Eagles and the Dockers both doing pretty well in terms of fanbase and following.

“Those numbers continue to grow almost every year. It’s a two-sided coin. We don’t rule anything out.”

Listen to the full interview >> The Dribble Podcast: October 12