Geelong United has been granted a licence to compete in the Women’s National Basketball League.
United will play home games at The Arena from the 2024-25 season.
Geelong United Basketball chief executive Mark Neeld is thrilled for the opportunity this brings to female athletes in the Geelong region.
“The profile of women’s sport is on a dramatic rise, and locally we’ve seen so many of these women doing great things, particularly in basketball with the NBL1,” he said.
“We of course see the growth in basketball firsthand and want to reward our hard-working female athletes with another amazing opportunity to play sport at the highest level right here in their own backyard.”
WNBL Hall of Fame member and three-time Olympian Trish Fallon is excited by today’s announcement.
“I grew up in Geelong and went through the local pathways that took me all the way to the Olympics,” she said.
“Geelong has such a strong, vibrant basketball community and having a WNBL team will give girls of all ages the opportunity to aspire to playing at the elite level. I’m looking forward to heading down to watch some games and I encourage all of the Geelong basketball fans to come out and support the team.”
“Congratulations to Geelong United on securing a WNBL license,” mayor Trent Sullivan said.
“What a win for women’s sport in this city. We have so many passionate basketball fans in our region, and it will be amazing for them to be able to watch elite level play in our own backyard. Hopefully, it will inspire many more girls in Geelong to take up the sport. I’m looking forward to heading along to the Geelong Arena to watch the team during its inaugural season.”
Head of WNBL Christy Collier-Hill welcomed Geelong United Basketball into the League.
“This is a great day for the WNBL, we have been working with Geelong United Basketball for some time and we are delighted to be able to announce their inclusion in the league,” she said.
“Season 2024-25 is going to be so exciting for the fans and we know that Geelong will really get behind their team. There has never been a better time for women’s sport with more fans than ever before. This is a great investment for Geelong United Basketball, and we look forward to working together to raise the profile of women’s sport and provide more opportunities for young girls to play basketball”.
