Basketball Tasmania declares its stance on Tornadoes, Thunder NBL1 bids

Basketball Tasmania has revealed its stance on the North West Thunder and Launceston Tornadoes' NBL1 licence bids for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

The two clubs are currently co-signatories on their NBL1 South licence but Basketball Victoria announced it wanted just one signatory on the Northern Tasmanian licence for 2026 and beyond.

As a result, both the North West Thunder and Launceston Tornadoes submitted separate licence bids on July 18.

After assessing both proposals, Tasmania's sporting body has decided not to endorse either bid.

"After reviewing both submissions and consulting with Basketball Victoria, Basketball Tasmania has decided not to endorse either proposal at this stage, as they do not adequately meet the outlined requirements or reflect the expectations and needs of North and North-West Tasmanian basketball communities," the Basketball Tasmania statement read.

Basketball Tasmania's expectations are as follows:

• A unified submission to be developed, incorporating both the Northern Tasmanian Thunder and Tornadoes under a single NBL1 licence for Northern Tasmania.
• A collaborative governance model to be proposed, featuring equal board representation from the existing Tornadoes and Thunder boards. This structure is intended to ensure balanced and transparent leadership.

The organisation also provided some clarity on the mediation process that occurred prior to the bids being submitted.

"Over the past two years, Basketball Tasmania offered support to the Tornadoes and Thunder to work together on a unified submission," the statement read.

"Despite multiple meetings to reach an agreement, communications ultimately stalled.

"As a result, each club submitted an individual proposal by the July 18 deadline.

"Basketball Tasmania has invited both clubs to resume discussions and continue working toward a single unified submission and model that represents all of Northern Tasmania."

Basketball Victoria will decide on the licences on August 6.

The North West Thunder and Launceston Tornadoes were both contacted for comment.