SUPPORTERS of a Newcastle-based National Basketball League team will follow the lead of fledgling AFL franchises and take up to two years building the club from the ground up.
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The Gold Coast Suns will enter the AFL next season after several years establishing a membership base, infrastructure, management and coaching staff, club colours, logo and livery, and a playing roster.
The Greater Western Sydney Giants have followed a similar model building their brand and will join the premiership in 2012 as the AFL's 18th club.
After the demise of the Newcastle Falcons in 1999 and Hunter Pirates in 2006, efforts to establish a third NBL team from this region are gathering momentum.
Newcastle Basketball general manager Ivan Spyrdz, president Martin McLean and board member Mark Zundans, the Hunter Venues Authority chief executive, met with Tinkler Sports Group executive chairman Ken Edwards on Tuesday to discuss this prospect.
That was a follow-up to less formal talks in recent weeks, and a chance for both sides to explain their respective goals and needs and establish common ground.
It was agreed it would be beneficial to take as long as necessary to build a solid foundation and framework, including a sound financial base and close ties with the Newcastle basketball community and a network throughout the Central Coast, Hunter Valley and northern NSW.
Neither Spyrdz nor Edwards would divulge specific details of their meeting but, according to a source, the start-up process could take up to two years.
That would mean a Newcastle team would not compete in the NBL until the 2012-13 season at the earliest but unlike the Pirates, who were thrown together in the space of seven months, would have a better chance of sustainability and survival.
Nine teams are contesting the 2010-11 NBL season, which began on October 15 and will wind up with a best-of-three grand final series to be completed between April 20 and May 1.
"Ivan and his board are obviously well organised, strategic and professional, and sensibly we agreed that this is something that needs to be properly planned. There is no point rushing, but it's something that we're both committed to try to achieve," Edwards said.
NBL and Basketball Australia chief executive Larry Sengstock has emphasised the league's priority was to re-establish a Brisbane club and a second Melbourne team, but he has welcomed interest from Newcastle Basketball and the Tinkler Sports Group and met with representatives from both organisations in Newcastle 11 days ago.
"We're happy to continue to work with the Tinkler Sports Group, or any party that wishes to investigate the opportunities for an NBL licence in Newcastle," Spyrdz said.
"Our view hasn't changed and as I've said many times before, the success will be based on grassroots association which is very much the way the Tinkler Sports Group would like to operate, but let me stress it is still very early days.
"The Tinkler group have asked us to put structures forward to them for their consideration, but they stressed that they would like to work very closely with us and with Basketball Australia.
"We're being very careful and very conscious of the pathway forward rather than just rushing into anything, and both parties agreed that that is the position we would like to take."
Sengstock, NBL management and staff, and representatives of the nine clubs were in Melbourne yesterday and Tuesday for a strategic planning workshop to map out the league's future.
