http://nbl.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&aid=4240
NBL expands to Gold Coast
Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 11:52 AM
NBL
The Philips Championship has expanded to include a thirteenth team as of season 2007/08 after the NBL Board agreed to grant a new club license to the Gold Coast.
NBL Commissioner Rick Burton announced the historic decision to assembled media at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, which will be the home of the new team, after the NBL Board voted unanimously to allow the Gold Coast to enter the competition in 2007.
“I am delighted to confirm the NBL Board has unanimously approved the issuing of a thirteenth NBL team license to David Claxton’s consortium and that this new club will operate out of the Gold Coast’s new Convention Centre as of next season,” said Burton.
“The NBL couldn’t be happier with adding the Gold Coast to our ever-growing family. They have strong financial and community support in one of Australia’s fastest growing regions, a long-term plan for the success of their team and will play in a home venue which is truly state of the art. We believe they will be a valuable addition to the Philips Championship and to the basketball community in Queensland.”
Burton paid tribute to Gold Coast bid leader David Claxton for his efforts in securing the license.
“I want to single out David Claxton, who is the person that Queensland sports fans have to thank for bringing a major league professional sporting team back to the Gold Coast. David has shown an amazing determination in his efforts to lay the groundwork for the region to win a license.”
“It was no easy task to prove to the NBL Board that the Gold Coast was now ready for a team but he more than satisfied all of the stringent conditions which were placed before him. As a result, the Board was left in no doubt the new Gold Coast team would succeed.”
Owen Tomlinson, a successful local Gold Coast horsebreeder with businesses in Australia and New Zealand will be the team’s majority owner. Tom Tate, a local Gold Coast businessman and President of the Surfers Paradise Chamber of Commerce, is also a major stakeholder while Claxton also has a minor share in the team.
The entry of the new club into the Philips Championship will bring to four the number of teams which play out of Queensland, with Gold Coast joining Brisbane, Townsville and Cairns. The total number of teams in 2007/08 (13) will also be the largest in the Philips Championship since 1996, which was also the last year that the Gold Coast had a side in the competition.
The decision to add a thirteenth team follows the introduction of two new clubs - the Victoria-based South Dragons and the NBL’s first Asian team, the Singapore Slingers - for the 2006/07 Philips Championship season.
Claxton said outstanding support from the Gold Coast community had ensured the bid to gain a license was successful.
“After what has been a long, hard road we are now very excited about the challenge ahead of putting our Gold Coast team together,” Claxton said. “The support we have had from many people in the community as well as the Gold Coast city council, the local corporate sector and the investment group has made our shared vision of a Gold Coast NBL team a reality.”
Claxton said he believed the Gold Coast was now ready for an NBL franchise.
“We’re a strong, vibrant city experiencing continual growth and we now have a lot of families who live here, rather than being just a transient community based solely on tourism,” Claxton added. “The facility where we will play our home games will be the best NBL venue in Australia in my view.”
Whilst unable to attend the historic announcement due to official duties in Melbourne, Gold Coast Mayor and former Olympic athletics legend Ron Clarke MBE delivered a message to the ceremony in which he made it clear the new team would be a major boost for the region.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. David Claxton and his consortium for the rebirthing of basketball for national competition, being launched at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre today,” said the Mayor.
“It will add to the cavalcade of national sports themes that the Gold Coast has managed to attract over the past two years and provides our residents and visitors a wonderful array of sporting attractions of the very highest level. It will also serve to provide a great focus for the very strong junior teams we have here in our City. We look forward to a successful launch and highest achievements with all teams over the next few seasons.”
One of the key drivers for the NBL returning to the Gold Coast was the strong population growth in the area. As at 30 June 2005, the population for Gold Coast City was estimated to be 482,566 persons, with that number expected to increase to 683,568 residents in the year 2021.
The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre is a 6,000-seat state-of-the-art arena that was opened on 29 June 2004, which will make it the newest venue to be used in the Philips Championship.
NBL General Manager of Operations Chuck Harmison said the decision to add a new team was a sign of the continued growth of the Philips Championship.
“Today’s decision marks the continuation of a significant period of expansion and prosperity for the NBL,” Harmison said. “The League office are continuing to field regular enquiries from other cities who recognise the incredible potential of our competition and are keen to join the Philips Championship in the future. It is entirely possible we will see a fourteenth team enter the league in the near future. That interest is a powerful comment on the NBL’s resurgence and - in terms of sponsorship, broadcast partnerships and other key indicators of a sport’s health - we are currently in the best position we have been in for well over a decade.”
The NBL has made significant strides in recent years in key areas such as television, sponsorship and internet audiences, including the signing of major international brand Philips as the competition’s naming rights partner. In season 2006/07, the NBL is being broadcast on FOX SPORTS, Channel Nine and WIN in Australia, SKY Sport in New Zealand and SuperSports in Singapore. On Sunday 22 October 2006, Melbourne saw its biggest regular season basketball crowd since 2002 when 7,910 people jammed into Vodafone Arena to witness the South Dragons host the Melbourne Tigers. In October this year, the NBL website, nbl.com.au powered by Sportal, also set an all-time record for the number of unique browsers in a single month (123,020).
The new Gold Coast team will announce their official name, colours and other details in the near future. The 2007/08 Philips Championship season will tip-off in mid-September 2007.
f**king great news :music1:
:mrgreen:
NBL expands to Gold Coast
Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 11:52 AM
NBL
NBL Commissioner Rick Burton announced the historic decision to assembled media at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, which will be the home of the new team, after the NBL Board voted unanimously to allow the Gold Coast to enter the competition in 2007.
“I am delighted to confirm the NBL Board has unanimously approved the issuing of a thirteenth NBL team license to David Claxton’s consortium and that this new club will operate out of the Gold Coast’s new Convention Centre as of next season,” said Burton.
“The NBL couldn’t be happier with adding the Gold Coast to our ever-growing family. They have strong financial and community support in one of Australia’s fastest growing regions, a long-term plan for the success of their team and will play in a home venue which is truly state of the art. We believe they will be a valuable addition to the Philips Championship and to the basketball community in Queensland.”
Burton paid tribute to Gold Coast bid leader David Claxton for his efforts in securing the license.
“I want to single out David Claxton, who is the person that Queensland sports fans have to thank for bringing a major league professional sporting team back to the Gold Coast. David has shown an amazing determination in his efforts to lay the groundwork for the region to win a license.”
“It was no easy task to prove to the NBL Board that the Gold Coast was now ready for a team but he more than satisfied all of the stringent conditions which were placed before him. As a result, the Board was left in no doubt the new Gold Coast team would succeed.”
Owen Tomlinson, a successful local Gold Coast horsebreeder with businesses in Australia and New Zealand will be the team’s majority owner. Tom Tate, a local Gold Coast businessman and President of the Surfers Paradise Chamber of Commerce, is also a major stakeholder while Claxton also has a minor share in the team.
The entry of the new club into the Philips Championship will bring to four the number of teams which play out of Queensland, with Gold Coast joining Brisbane, Townsville and Cairns. The total number of teams in 2007/08 (13) will also be the largest in the Philips Championship since 1996, which was also the last year that the Gold Coast had a side in the competition.
Claxton said outstanding support from the Gold Coast community had ensured the bid to gain a license was successful.
“After what has been a long, hard road we are now very excited about the challenge ahead of putting our Gold Coast team together,” Claxton said. “The support we have had from many people in the community as well as the Gold Coast city council, the local corporate sector and the investment group has made our shared vision of a Gold Coast NBL team a reality.”
Claxton said he believed the Gold Coast was now ready for an NBL franchise.
“We’re a strong, vibrant city experiencing continual growth and we now have a lot of families who live here, rather than being just a transient community based solely on tourism,” Claxton added. “The facility where we will play our home games will be the best NBL venue in Australia in my view.”
Whilst unable to attend the historic announcement due to official duties in Melbourne, Gold Coast Mayor and former Olympic athletics legend Ron Clarke MBE delivered a message to the ceremony in which he made it clear the new team would be a major boost for the region.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. David Claxton and his consortium for the rebirthing of basketball for national competition, being launched at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre today,” said the Mayor.
“It will add to the cavalcade of national sports themes that the Gold Coast has managed to attract over the past two years and provides our residents and visitors a wonderful array of sporting attractions of the very highest level. It will also serve to provide a great focus for the very strong junior teams we have here in our City. We look forward to a successful launch and highest achievements with all teams over the next few seasons.”
One of the key drivers for the NBL returning to the Gold Coast was the strong population growth in the area. As at 30 June 2005, the population for Gold Coast City was estimated to be 482,566 persons, with that number expected to increase to 683,568 residents in the year 2021.
The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre is a 6,000-seat state-of-the-art arena that was opened on 29 June 2004, which will make it the newest venue to be used in the Philips Championship.
NBL General Manager of Operations Chuck Harmison said the decision to add a new team was a sign of the continued growth of the Philips Championship.
“Today’s decision marks the continuation of a significant period of expansion and prosperity for the NBL,” Harmison said. “The League office are continuing to field regular enquiries from other cities who recognise the incredible potential of our competition and are keen to join the Philips Championship in the future. It is entirely possible we will see a fourteenth team enter the league in the near future. That interest is a powerful comment on the NBL’s resurgence and - in terms of sponsorship, broadcast partnerships and other key indicators of a sport’s health - we are currently in the best position we have been in for well over a decade.”
The NBL has made significant strides in recent years in key areas such as television, sponsorship and internet audiences, including the signing of major international brand Philips as the competition’s naming rights partner. In season 2006/07, the NBL is being broadcast on FOX SPORTS, Channel Nine and WIN in Australia, SKY Sport in New Zealand and SuperSports in Singapore. On Sunday 22 October 2006, Melbourne saw its biggest regular season basketball crowd since 2002 when 7,910 people jammed into Vodafone Arena to witness the South Dragons host the Melbourne Tigers. In October this year, the NBL website, nbl.com.au powered by Sportal, also set an all-time record for the number of unique browsers in a single month (123,020).
The new Gold Coast team will announce their official name, colours and other details in the near future. The 2007/08 Philips Championship season will tip-off in mid-September 2007.
f**king great news :music1:
:mrgreen:
