Women's National Basketball League facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Women's National Basketball League (WNBL)

Formerly	Women's Interstate Basketball Conference (WIBC) (1981)
Sport	Basketball
Founded	1981
Inaugural season	1981
Commissioner	Christy Collier-Hill
No. of teams	8
Country	Australia
Continent	FIBA Oceania (Oceania)
Most recent champion(s)	Southside Flyers (5th title)
Most titles	Canberra Capitals (9 titles)
TV partner(s)	ESPN
Streaming partner(s)	9Now
Sponsor(s)	Cygnett
Level on pyramid	1
Related competitions	Women's Basketball Conference
Official website	wnbl.basketball

The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is a professional women's basketball league in Australia. It has eight teams and is the top women's basketball league in the country. The WNBL started in 1981. It is like the women's version of the National Basketball League (NBL) for men.

How the WNBL Started

Forming the League

In August 1980, a coach named Ted Powell from West Adelaide had an idea. He wanted to create a new basketball competition. He talked with Coach Bill Palmer from St Kilda.

They decided to invite three teams from Victoria to join. These teams were St Kilda, CYMS, and Nunawading. The goal was to form a league where teams could play each other at home and away.

Delegates from six teams met in Sydney in 1980. They agreed to start the new league. The first games were planned for July and August 1981. Teams wanted more varied games than their state leagues. They also wanted to prepare for the Australian Club Championship.

The men's National League had started in 1979. Women's teams felt a national league would help their sport grow. It would give top players more chances to play against each other.

Money was a big concern for the new league. So, the six teams agreed to play three games on one weekend to save costs. Two teams from New South Wales, Bankstown and Sutherland, joined later. They paid their own travel costs to play for double points. This is how the WNBL began!

Early Years (1981–1985)

In 1981, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) also opened. Their men's coach, Dr. Adrian Hurley, asked if the AIS team could join. This made nine teams for the first season.

The first nine teams were: AIS, Bankstown Bruins, Catholic Young Men's Society (CYMS), Melbourne Telstars, Noarlunga Tigers, North Adelaide Rockets, St. Kilda Saints, Sutherland Sharks, and West Adelaide Bearcats. The first game was on June 19, 1981, in Adelaide. It was between AIS and West Adelaide.

The league was first called the Women's Interstate Basketball Conference (WIBC). Each team paid $25 to join.

The first winner was St. Kilda. They beat the North Adelaide Rockets 77–58. St. Kilda also won other championships that year. Their players included Tracy Morris, Karen Ogden, and Patricia Cockrem. Karen Ogden was the first player to win the Most Valuable Player award twice.

In 1982, the league grew to include a team from Brisbane. The competition changed its name to the Women's Basketball League. St. Kilda won again in 1982.

In 1983, the Nunawading Spectres, led by Robyn Maher, won the championship. They went on to win nine WNBL titles in the next 12 years. More teams joined, and the league became stronger.

The WNBL started to get more attention. This was partly because the men's NBL was becoming very popular. Some women's games were played before men's NBL games. This helped more people see the quality of women's basketball.

Growing Stronger (1986–1989)

In 1986, a team from Perth joined the Women's Basketball Conference. This meant the women's leagues now had teams from all over Australia. The Australian Basketball Federation officially renamed the league the National Women's Basketball League.

1986 was also the first year the WNBL played a full home and away season. Perth joined the main league the next year. They paid their own travel costs for the first two years.

After the success of the Seoul Olympics, the WNBL grew even more. Lyn Palmer became the first full-time general manager. In 1989, the WNBL got its first big sponsor, Pony, for $258,000. ABC also agreed to show the finals on TV. The league had 13 teams in 1989.

The 1990s: More Growth

The WNBL continued to grow in the 1990s. Australia hosted the Women's World Championships in 1994. This made it important for women's basketball to be well-known. In 1993, WNBL teams agreed to help pay for weekly games to be shown on ABC TV. This was a big step for the sport.

The Sydney Kings basketball club took over the Sydney Bruins team. They formed the Sydney Flames. Coached by Carrie Graf, the Flames became very popular. The Perth Breakers and Sydney Flames even started wearing special bodysuits. The Flames won the title in 1993. They even got coverage on the back pages of Sydney newspapers. This was a huge achievement for women's sports.

Teams like Sydney, Melbourne Tigers, Adelaide Lightning, and Canberra were very strong in the 1990s. The AIS team won their first title in 1998–99. They were led by Lauren Jackson, one of the best basketball players in the world.

The WNBL became one of the most famous women's sports brands in Australia. It was also known as one of the top three women's basketball leagues globally. ABC continued to show weekly WNBL games. This helped the league get more sponsors.

The 2000s and Beyond

WNBL teams, the Logan Thunder in white and the University of Canberra Capitals in blue, battle for the ball in a game on 20 January 2012.

ABC kept showing the WNBL games. They even increased their coverage. They showed Friday night games live on ABC digital TV.

The WNBL was very stable with eight teams for many seasons. In 2006, Bendigo started talks about joining the league. A team from New Zealand, the Christchurch Sirens, also joined for the 2007–08 season. Bendigo brought strong community support. Christchurch had many New Zealand national players.

In 2008–09, the Logan Thunder joined from Queensland. This helped the league grow even more.

In 2013, the Adelaide Lightning teamed up with the men's NBL team, the Adelaide 36ers. They shared management and marketing. They also used the larger 8,000-seat Adelaide Arena. This helped raise the profile of both teams. Some Lightning home games were played before 36ers games. This meant the women's games often had crowds of over 5,000 people.

In February 2023, a game between the Southside Flyers and the Sydney Flames had a crowd of 7,681 people. This was the largest WNBL crowd ever!

Current Clubs

Club	Colours	City	State	Arena	Capacity	Founded	Head Coach	WNBL Championships	Most recent
Adelaide Lightning	Navy Blue, Red, Yellow	Adelaide	South Australia	Adelaide 36ers Arena	8,000	1992	Natalie Hurst	5	2008; 17 years ago (2008)
Bendigo Spirit	Darker Blue, Yellow	Bendigo	Victoria	Bendigo Stadium	4,000	2007	Kennedy Kereama	2	2014; 11 years ago (2014)
Canberra Capitals	Light Blue, Black, Gold	Canberra	Australian Capital Territory	AIS Arena	5,200	1986	Kristen Veal	9	2020; 5 years ago (2020)
Geelong United	Navy, White	Geelong	Victoria	Geelong Arena	2,000	1984	TBA	2	2022; 3 years ago (2022)
Perth Lynx	Red, Black, White	Perth	Western Australia	Bendat Basketball Centre	2,000	1988	Ryan Petrik	1	1992; 33 years ago (1992)
Southside Flyers	Aqua, Navy, White	Dandenong	Victoria	State Basketball Centre	3,200	1992	Cheryl Chambers	4	2020; 5 years ago (2020)
Sydney Flames	Black, Silver and Gold	Sydney	New South Wales	Qudos Bank Arena	18,000	1981	Shelley Gorman	4	2017; 8 years ago (2017)
Townsville Fire	Black, Orange, Light Blue	Townsville	Queensland	Townsville Entertainment Centre	5,257	2001	Shannon Seebohm	4	2023; 2 years ago (2023)

Former Clubs

Many teams have played in the WNBL over the years. Here are some of the clubs that are no longer in the league:

• Adelaide City Comets (1992)
• Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) (1981 to 2011–12)
• Brisbane Blazers (1982 to 1998)
• Catholic Young Men's Society (CYMS) (1981 to 1982)
• Christchurch Sirens (2007–08)
• Coburg Cougars (1983 to 1990)
• Geelong Cats (1986)
• Hobart Islanders (1986 to 1996)
• Logan Thunder (2008–09 to 2013–14)
• Melbourne Telstars (1981)
• Melbourne Tigers (1989 to 2000–01)
• Noarlunga Tigers (1981 to 1991)
• North Adelaide Rockets (1981 to 1991)
• Nunawading Spectres (Melbourne East Spectres) (1982 to 1991)
• South East Queensland Stars (2015–16)
• St. Kilda Saints (1981 to 1985)
• Sutherland Sharks (1981 to 1986)
• West Adelaide Bearcats (1981 to 1992)

How the Season Works

Regular Season Games

The WNBL regular season usually starts in early October. It finishes in mid to late February. Each team plays 24 games during this time. Twelve games are at home, and twelve are away.

Every team plays against each other at least three times. Some teams play four times. The top four teams on the championship ladder move on to the WNBL Finals. The finals usually happen in March.

Before the season, teams hold training camps. Coaches use these camps to get players ready. They also decide which players will be on the team. After training camp, teams play some practice games.

WNBL Finals: Who Wins the Championship?

The top four teams from the regular season go to the finals. The teams that finish first and second get to play their first-round games at home. They play against the fourth and third-place teams.

The winners of these first-round series move on to the Grand Final. The team with the better record gets to play the Grand Final games at home. The team that wins the Grand Final series is crowned the WNBL champion!

Players and Coaches

The WNBL has helped many Australian players become famous. These players have also done well for the Australian national team, the Opals. Some famous Opals who played in the WNBL include Robyn Maher, Michele Timms, Karen Dalton, Rachael Sporn, Shelley Sandie, Julie Nykiel, Jenny Whittle, Lauren Jackson, and Penny Taylor. They were all key players for their clubs.

Player Records

Here are some of the top records held by WNBL players:

WNBL Awards

The WNBL gives out several awards each season. These awards celebrate the best players and coaches:

• Most Valuable Player Award: Given to the player who is most important to her team.
• Grand Final Most Valuable Player Award: Given to the best player in the finals.
• Rookie of the Year Award: For the best player in their first year.
• Defensive Player of the Year Award: For the league's best defender.
• Top Shooter of the Year Award: For the player who scores the most points per game.
• Coach of the Year Award: For the coach who made the biggest positive impact on their team.
• All-Star Five: A team of the five best players of the season.

Recent Award Winners (2021–22)

International Players in the WNBL

The WNBL is a great place for Australian players to get noticed. Many have gone on to play in European leagues and the WNBA in the United States.

The WNBL also attracts many players from other countries. They often play in the WNBL during the WNBA off-season. This is because the WNBA plays in the Northern Hemisphere summer. Here are some international players who have played in the WNBL:

• Chelsea Aubry, Canada – a long-time player and two-time champion with the Bendigo Spirit.
• Alana Beard, United States – played with the Canberra Capitals.
• Micaela Cocks, New Zealand – a three-time champion with the Townsville Fire.
• Shanavia Dowdell, United States – played with the Townsville Fire.
• Olivia Époupa, France – a champion with the Canberra Capitals.
• Antonia Farnworth, New Zealand – played with the Perth Lynx.
• Ruth Hamblin, Canada – played with the Perth Lynx and Adelaide Lightning.
• Laurie Koehn, United States – played with the Melbourne Boomers.
• Betnijah Laney, United States – played with the Perth Lynx, Bendigo Spirit, and Dandenong Rangers.
• Jo Leedham, Great Britain – played with the Bulleen Boomers.
• Angela Marino, New Zealand – played with the Canberra Capitals, Perth Lynx, and Adelaide Lightning.
• Kia Nurse, Canada – the first international MVP and two-time champion with the Canberra Capitals.
• Krista Phillips, Canada – a champion with the Dandenong Rangers.
• Cappie Pondexter, United States – played with the Dandenong Rangers.
• Qiu Chen, China – played with the Canberra Capitals.
• Julie Vanloo, Belgium – played with the Townsville Fire.

Watching the WNBL on TV

ABC showed WNBL games from the very first season in 1981. They stopped their coverage in the 2014/15 season.

• Fox Sports started showing games for the 2017/18 season.
• In 2020, the WNBL returned to ABC. Games were also shown on Fox Sports and Kayo.
• ESPN started showing games for the 2022/23 season. You can also stream every game on 9Now.

See Also

• Australian Basketball Association
• Basketball Australia
• Basketball in Australia
• National Basketball League
• Women's Basketball Conference
• Timeline of women's basketball