dates set for tip off at the furnace

The NBL has today announced the much anticipated schedule for the expanded NBL1 in 2022 with the A.Gabrielli Constructions Flames and the Beehive/QSolutions Group Heat set to tip off the North league with a home fixture against the Ipswich Force on Friday 29th April.

2022 sees an expansion of the NBL1 concept with the introduction of the NBL1 East in New South Wales joining the other leagues of North, South, Central and West with the winners to meet in the NBL1 National Finals in September.

The NBL1 North also sees expansion in 2022 with the North Gold Coast Seahawks joining the league after spending the past seasons in Basketball Queensland’s Queensland State League and excitingly the Darwin Salties joining the conference giving the NBL1 true national coverage across every state and territory.

The highlights of the draw for Townsville Basketball in 2022 are;

  • The benefit of 10 home games and 9 away games featuring our normal Northern Rivalries with Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton as well as getting to see the South based teams we missed at home in Season 2021.

  • The addition of Darwin to our league who we will host on Friday 20th May.

  • The inclusion of Townsville Basketball in the NBL1 Wildcard Challenge featuring the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence which give us the bonus of an additional home game to our program and the opportunity for direct entry into the NBL1 Finals.

  • Special home feature matches against Darwin (Breast Cancer Charity Game) and North Gold Coast (First Nations Round).

“We are in the middle of constructing our teams and look forward to putting teams on the court that will have lots of home grown talent along with the addition of some extra stars for both the A.Gabrielli Constructions Flames and Beehive/QSolutions Heat”, said Townsville Basketball General Manager Mark Wrobel.

“If we can get a clear run on this season we will fingers crossed have the first complete senior representative season for three years which I know our partners and players are looking forward to” said Wrobel.

All 1464 regular season games across the country will be streamed live and free on NBL1.com.au and the NBL1 App (launching soon) each week, with Kayo Freebies exclusively streaming the NBL1 Games of the Week.
 
Kayo Freebies will also stream each of the NBL1 Conference Finals and the inaugural National Finals, set to be played in Melbourne from September 9-11.

As recently announced, the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence and NBA Global Academy will make its return to the NBL1 through the NBL1 Wildcard Series, playing at venues all over the country.
 
NBL1 General Manager Dean Anglin said the exciting set of 2022 fixtures was testament to the hard work of our state partners behind the scenes.
“We have 1464 regular-season scheduled games, a huge testament to everyone involved in the NBL1,” Anglin said.
“With COVID-19 interruptions hampering the last two seasons, all conferences are excited for what this year holds.
“We have 74 clubs and 142 teams playing in every state and territory of Australia, which will mean more than 1600 athletes will all be vying for a spot in the inaugural NBL1 National Finals at the end of the year. It’s going to be huge.

“We look forward to bringing fans closer to the game with our partnership with Kayo Freebies for Game of the Week in each conference, through the NBL1 website and the launch of a new NBL1 App prior to the season.
 
“We’ll give fans a chance to cheer on their team and an opportunity for local stars to shine on one of Australian basketball’s biggest stages.”