Tue
Apr 8, 2025
Change is on the horizon for Thunder, but what could that look like?
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Story by Jacob Bevis The Advocate
Is it viable for the North West Thunder to merge with the Launceston Tornadoes?
While it seems like the obvious substitute for the current model of a split NBL1 South licence, Thunder chairman James Leslie, who understood the decision, believed a merger "may face the same concerns". We've had conversations with the Tornadoes about the challenges that come with the current model of a split licence and we think that any sort of merger may face the same concerns," Leslie said. "No real home base, split sponsorship deals, and financial impacts all come into play. At the minute, we are both dealing with home games in two different locations 120-kilometres apart and it's far from ideal, not only for us at club level but for the athletes as well."
It comes after NBL1 South operators Basketball Victoria said the men's and women's teams in the North and North-West of Tasmania must operate under the same license from 2026.
The Thunder (men) and the Tornadoes (women) share the court most game days, switching between Ulverstone Sports and Leisure Centre, and Launceston's Elphin Sports Centre.
While its been reported that Victorian-based clubs have complained about sending their two teams to two different parts of Tasmania, Leslie said it's not the reason for the change. "[We have received] really clear instructions from the NBL1 executive that this change was coming and all Tasmanian clubs have been well informed on the reasons for the change," he said. "However, it is hard on the travelling teams that come to play here, as they end up playing night games over an hour from each other.
"It doesn't just impact them financially, but it has a level of extra travel late at night to join the other team post-game, along with the inconveniences of having to split coaching/medical staff that usually support both men's and women's teams at the same time."
The likes of Taran Armstrong, Kye Savage and Jacob Furphy have all taken to the court for the Thunder, on their way to a much higher level. While a solution is still being worked through, Leslie said maintaining "access to the right pathway is vital". Whatever happens in 2026 and beyond, it's important that it doesn't negatively impact the pathway of junior basketballers in the north of the state in general," he said. "We hope for a favourable outcome so we can keep promoting basketball as the sport of choice in the region.
"We have spent a lot of time planning for this process and feel like we are in a great position to show what we can continue to offer to elevate the sport."
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