The owners of the Melbourne based WNBL club – the Deakin Melbourne Boomers – have announced they will transfer their WNBL license to a Geelong based consortium.
Speaking on behalf of the current ownership group, who assumed control of the license in 2016 from the Bullen and Templestowe Basketball Association (after it faced closure), the Chair, Tony Hallam shared that this is a sad day for all involved with the Boomers especially its loyal and passionate fans and members. Hallam noted that the Boomers have been funded by its private owners for 8 seasons to the tune of $1.5m and the owners are unfortunately not in a position to continue underwriting the significant investment required.
“We have pursued many options over the past 18 months to continue in our current form in the WNBL to secure new investors and other sources of funding, including from Basketball Australia, State and Local Government and private investors”, Hallam stated. “However unfortunately we have not been successful in securing future funding to support the ongoing operations of the Club. As we pursue equality in elite women’s sport, there is quite rightly an increasing expectation by our wonderful athletes and coaches in terms of remuneration and working conditions (enjoyed by their male equivalents) – however these significant rising costs cannot continue to be absorbed just by the private owners, without the support of the current league owner, Basketball Australia.”
Hallam stated that “sadly this outcome reflects the very real financial challenges which professional women’s sport faces, and in particular the WNBL, where the current funding structure of the League requires that Club operations are fully funded by Club owners.
More at the clubs site.
