Big changes afoot to Aussie basketball

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AUS - Australian basketball review unveiled

SYDNEY (National Federation) - An independent review into Australian basketball released today outlines initiatives to reposition the sport including a new elite competition to replace the National Basketball League (NBL).

Key priorities addressed in the report are a major restructure of the basketball administration; re-branding and aggressively promoting the sport: developing strong revenue streams from corporate and media partnerships; increasing the connection between community and elite competitions and national teams; and significant expansion and investment in the national basketball program.

"While commissioned to identify the critical issues facing basketball in Australia, the review has also served to reinforce the underlying strengths of the sport which include a strong participation base, talented athlete programs, a large number of elite players of international quality, strong female participation and passionate, untapped public support," said chairman of the Interim Board, Mr. David Thodey.

"Basketball has a bright future in Australia, and requires renewed focus, commitment, and support to ensure the right foundations are set for the next decade.

"The independent review provides a unique opportunity to get it right - to ensure every facet of the game is functioning optimally - so we can strengthen the position of basketball as a key sport in Australia," said Mr. Thodey.

The review recommends the development of an elite men's competition to replace the current NBL for season 2009/10 with a revised format commercially attractive to broadcasters and business partners, and working with FIBA (International Basketball Federation) to create and participate in an Asian Club Championship from 2010.

"This is definitely not a short-term strategy," said Mr. Thodey. "We aim to deliver an improved governance and management structure, and a sustainable business plan, that will ensure significant commercial and community benefits for basketball in Australia.

"There is strong support for basketball in this country, but there is no doubt that a substantial effort is required to ensure its successful future."

Internationally, Australia is currently ranked the number two basketball nation in the FIBA global rankings, while locally, basketball has never been stronger, with more than 650,000 people participating in the sport and numbers continuing to grow.

"If the sport is to maximise these assets, it needs to generate increased revenue. This should be possible through the adoption of an independent governing body capable of making decisions in the best interest of the sport."

Mark Peters, interim board member and CEO of the Australian Sports Commission, stated that an independent governing body would strengthen the national approach to the development of the game.

"For revenue purposes, the sport needs a vibrant NBL and WNBL and the Boomers and Opals playing regularly in Australia.

"The key initiatives outlined in the review will assist in raising the profile of the game and in turn generate the significant media and sponsorship revenues currently lacking," said Mr. Peters.

The review recommends aggressively pursuing commercial, government and non-traditional revenue lines to drive growth and ensure a profitable business.

A commitment to developing sound commercial strategies, strong financial management and measurable outcomes are critical elements and will ultimately decide the success of reform.

As part of the plan to reform the sport, Basketball Australia and the NBL have previously decided to merge. The decision to move to a single unified body stems from a two-stage review of the sport commissioned more than 15 months ago by Basketball Australia, the NBL and the Australian Sports Commission.

With the second stage of the review now complete, the interim board will provide details of the report to all Basketball Australia and NBL stakeholders before putting its recommendations to a vote on 11 October.

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AUS - Basketball looks to secure international success

SYDNEY (National team) - Australian Olympic legends Andrew Gaze, Andrew Vlahov and Rachael Sporn have been appointed by Basketball Australia to help evaluate the success of the Boomers and Opals Olympic programs following their recent campaigns at the Beijing Games, including making recommendations on what is required to secure medals at the London Games in 2012.

Gaze, who is also currently on the Interim Board of Basketball, will join former national teammate Vlahov on a panel to undertake a comprehensive review of the Boomers program, along with Basketball Australia's President John Maddock, CEO Scott Derwin and General Manager of National Teams, Lorraine Landon.

Sporn will join Maddock, Derwin, Landon and Interim Board member and business leader Diane Sias on a panel to review the performance of the silver medal winning Opals.

The committees will provide a series of recommendations for refining the program over the next four years, to ensure the teams' quality for medal contention. A recommendation for the appointment of the next Head Coach for both the Boomers and Opals teams will also be made, with the positions expected to be announced early December.

The trio have a wealth of experience at the international level, with a combined total of 807 international games for Australia between them.

"We were extremely proud of the Opals and Boomers performances during the Games, and the way they represented Australian basketball on the world stage," said triple Olympic medallist Rachael Sporn. "We now need to capitalise on this success to ensure basketball continues to be seen as a successful sport in Australia and that we continue to excel on the international stage."

"Basketball in Australia is currently undergoing a major reform, with the move towards the introduction of a single structure for the sport to ensure its successful future, and we believe our teams' recent performance has contributed strongly to building this new foundation for basketball in Australia," said Sporn.

Key priorities addressed in a recent independent review of the sport included a major restructure of the basketball administration and governance; re-branding and aggressively promoting the sport: developing strong revenue streams from corporate and media partnerships; increasing the connection between community and elite competitions and national teams; and the significant expansion and investment in the national basketball program.

"We need to bridge the gap between the grassroots and our world-class national teams, and provide stronger links between the young players of the future, our national teams and our performance on an international stage," said Andrew Vlahov, former National Basketball League championship winner and current Managing Director of the Perth Wildcats.

"The national pathways program continues to produce outstanding results internationally, and our continued success at an Olympic level highlights our status as a powerful basketball nation that continues to develop some of the world's best players, including Andrew Bogut, Lauren Jackson, Penny Taylor, and David Andersen.

"However, there is no doubt there's significant work needed to ensure this international success filters down to a grassroots level if we are to ensure a successful future for the sport in this country," said Vlahov. "This is not happening at the moment."

Basketball Australia Chief Executive Scott Derwin said a new structure as outlined in the recently released Stage Two report into basketball was much needed in Australia to strengthen the focus on building the sport across all levels.

"We need to ensure the pathways program provides a greater capacity to invest in talent identification and development, while offering higher profile and better paying careers to secure basketball's position as an activity or career of choice for Australia's youth," said Derwin.

"Basketball needs a governing body for basketball that is independent and capable of making decisions in the best interest of the sport," stressed Derwin. "This will ensure a strengthened national approach to the development of the game, a stronger NBL and WNBL competition, and more regular Boomers and Opals games played in Australia.

"These initiatives will increase the exposure of the game and in turn generate significant media and sponsorship revenues lacking at the moment."

"The development of a revised governance and management structure and a sustainable business plan for basketball, are key areas that need to be addressed if the sport is to move forward successfully."

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AUS - Australian basketball names new leader

SYDNEY (Basketball Australia) - Australian basketball has a new hand at the helm to guide it through the next stage of its commercial reform after the legendary Larry Sengstock was named as the sport's new Chief Executive Officer by Basketball Australia.

Sengstock comes to basketball as an acknowledged leader in Australian sports management with exceptional experience in working with all levels of sport both locally and internationally, all range of commercial enterprises and with all levels of government.

One of the best credentialed sports and event management executives in Australia, Sengstock was the Head of Sport and Athlete Services for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. He was one of the original members of the bid team that secured the Commonwealth Games for Melbourne and then a member of the Organising Committee that ensured the Games were a stunning success. Sengstock joins Basketball Australia from his current role as Senior Consultant of International Projects with market-leading sports, recreation and leisure planning consultancy SGL Group.

The former Boomers star played 293 games for Australia during his storied on-court career and represented Australia at four Olympic Games (1980, 1984, 1988, 1992) and four World Championships (1978, 1982, 1986, 1990). He won five National Basketball League Championships (1979, 1980, 1985, 1987) and was the NBL Grand Final Most Valuable Player in the league's 1979 inaugural season. The NBL Grand Final MVP medal has since been named in his honour and he is a member of both the Basketball Australia and NBL Halls of Fame.

Chairman of the Board of Basketball David Thodey said BA undertook an exhaustive search for someone with proven leadership ability and impeccable corporate credentials and were thrilled to find Sengstock.

"Basketball faces great challenges in the next few years but is also entering a period of unparalleled opportunity," said Thodey. "It was vital therefore that we appointed a CEO with a demonstrated track record - someone who has vision, drive and a proven ability to successfully manage a transformational agenda. Larry Sengstock clearly fits that bill and the Board were delighted that he was available."

"We underwent an aggressive recruitment process to find ourselves a best-of-breed business leader. That's exactly what we've found in Larry Sengstock, who more than ticks every box. The fact that he also happens to be someone who is an Australian basketball icon, and who has been intimately involved with the sport at every level, is an unbelievable bonus."

Thodey paid tribute to departing BA Chief Executive Scott Derwin, who was a major driving force behind basketball's reform process.

"Larry will benefit from the solid foundation he will inherit from Scott Derwin's ten-year tenure. Scott did what no one before had managed to do - he got the NBL and BA not just to work together, but to unify into a single entity. That is a remarkable feat and one that will bear enormous fruit for the sport in the long-term. He led Australia's national program through three Olympic Games and two World Championships, with the international on-court success of our teams during that period including multiple medals and one world title. Scott was a leader who demonstrated resilience, commitment and passion for the vision of Basketball's reform. We owe him a great debt of gratitude."

Sengstock said he was looking forward to the challenge of growing the sport and finding ways to build linkages between the more than 600,000 participants and basketball's elite competitions and teams.

"I truly believe this is a time of opportunity for the sport," said Sengstock. "With the new men's national league set to be unveiled, Australia already having qualified for the 2010 senior World Championships, and the sport's stakeholders now unified and sharing a common purpose, we are poised on the brink of what could be a new golden age for basketball."

"I've heard plenty of people talk about basketball getting back to the success of the 1980s and '90s, but the reality is that we need to move the sport forward, rather than focusing on the past," Sengstock added. "Our goal is to bring the sport into the 21st century commercially so we can capitalise on basketball's huge participation base and international successes."

Sengstock will officially commence duties with BA on April 27.

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