NBL1 Central, formerly the Premier League, is a semi-professional basketball league in South Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball South Australia partnered with the National Basketball League (NBL) to bring NBL1 to South Australia. NBL1 replaced the former Premier League to create more professional pathways and opportunities for males and females playing basketball in South Australia. As a result, the Premier League became the central conference of NBL1.
| Most recent season or competition: 2024 NBL1 season | |
 | |
| Formerly | SA State League 1957–1997 CBA Central 1998 ABA Central 1999–2001 Central Australian Basketball League 2002–2014 Premier League 2015–2019 |
|---|---|
| Sport | Basketball |
| Founded | 1957 |
| First season | 1957 |
| No. of teams | M: 10 W: 10 |
| Country | Australia |
| Continent | FIBA Oceania (Oceania) |
| Most recent champion(s) | M: Forestville Eagles (9th title) W: Central Districts Lions (1st title) |
| Most titles | M: West Adelaide Bearcats (16 titles) W: North Adelaide Rockets (21 titles) |
| Official website | NBL1.com.au/Central |
History
editThe South Australian Metropolitan Basketball Association was founded in 1936. All games were played at Duncan Buildings, Franklin Street, Adelaide, with 16 teams competing. After World War II, basketball resumed at the Our Boys Institute in the city and at suburban drill halls, with 27 teams. In 1951, the District Association was formed, and by 1954, there were 57 teams competing in all grades.[1]
The first official State League season was in 1957.[2][3] During its time, the league was known as State Bank League and BankSA League.[4] In 1998, the SA State League joined the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) as the association's Central Conference.[5] In 1999, the CBA was restructured as the Australian Basketball Association (ABA).[6] The Central Australian Basketball League (Central ABL) name was in place until 2014.[4] The league was rebranded as Premier League in 2015.[7]
In February 2020, Basketball South Australia and the National Basketball League (NBL) announced a new partnership to bring NBL1 to South Australia, with the Premier League being renamed NBL1 Central and becoming the central conference of the NBL1.[8][9] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was cancelled.[10]
Current clubs
edit| Club | City | State | Arena | Joined NBL1 | NBL1 National Championships | Most recent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Districts Lions* | Adelaide |  South Australia
|
STARplex | 2020 | 0 | N/A |
| Eastern Mavericks* | Mount Barker | South Australia
|
St Francis de Sales Community Sports Centre | 2020 | 0 | N/A |
| Forestville Eagles* | Adelaide | South Australia
|
Wayville Sports Centre | 2020 | 0 | N/A |
| North Adelaide Rockets* | Adelaide | South Australia
|
The Lights Community and Sports Centre | 2020 | 0 | N/A |
| Norwood Flames* | Adelaide | South Australia
|
The ARC | 2020 | 0 | N/A |
| South Adelaide Panthers* | Adelaide | South Australia
|
Marion Basketball Centre | 2020 | 0 | N/A |
| Southern Tigers* | Adelaide | South Australia
|
Morphett Vale Stadium | 2020 | 0 | N/A |
| Sturt Sabres* | Adelaide | South Australia
|
Springbank Sports Centre | 2020 | 0 | N/A |
| West Adelaide Bearcats* | Adelaide | South Australia
|
Port Adelaide Recreation Centre | 2020 | 0 | N/A |
| Woodville Warriors* | Adelaide | South Australia
|
St Clair Recreation Centre | 2020 | 0 | N/A |
* Teams that transferred from the Premier League.
List of champions
edit| Team | Total Titles | Men's | Women's | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titles | Winning Seasons | Titles | Winning Seasons | |||
| North Adelaide Rockets | 27 | 6 | 1957, 1958, 1959, 1983, 2007, 2021 | 21 | 1957, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1982, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2004, 2014, 2018 | Won both inaugural titles in 1957. |
| West Adelaide Bearcats | 24 | 16 | 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1988, 1994, 1996, 2017, 2023 | 8 | 1968, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1993, 2007, 2022 | |
| West Torrens / Forestville Eagles | 18 | 9 | 1974, 1990, 2003, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2019, 2024 | 9 | 1975, 1976, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2019 | |
| Norwood Flames | 13 | 4 | 1999, 2008, 2009, 2015 | 9 | 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2023 | |
| South Adelaide Panthers | 12 | 11 | 1963, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1973, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2022 | 1 | 1958 | |
| Sturt Sabres | 10 | 5 | 1985, 1986, 2001, 2002, 2010 | 5 | 1974, 1981, 2002, 2006, 2008 | |
| Noarlunga City Tigers | 7 | 3 | 1992, 1993, 1998 | 4 | 1984, 1985, 1986, 1996 | |
| Glenelg Tigers | 4 | 2 | 1976, 1977 | 2 | 1978, 1979 | |
| Vikings | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963 | ||
| Southern Tigers | 4 | 2 | 2016, 2018 | 2 | 2017, 2021 | |
| Adelaide Sports Klub | 3 | 3 | 1950, 1964 | 0 | ||
| Woodville Warriors | 3 | 3 | 2000, 2005, 2014 | 0 | ||
| Budapest | 2 | 2 | 1961, 1962 | 0 | ||
| Central Districts Lions | 2 | 1 | 1984 | 1 | 2024 | |
| Adelaide Giants | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1966 | ||
| Eastern Mavericks | 1 | 1 | 2004 | 0 | ||
References
edit- ^ "HISTORY OF THE BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA". basketballsa.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016.
- ^ "Men's Premiers". NBL1 Central. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Women's Premiers". NBL1 Central. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ a b "State League needs a boost from within". botinagy.com. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ "History of the ABA". ABABasketball.net.au. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012.
- ^ "Basketball Australia Annual Report 1998" (PDF). Basketball Australia. p. 28 (36). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
- ^ "Introducing Premier League 2015". Premier League. 10 December 2014. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
- ^ "NBL1 Central To Tip Off In 2020". NBL1.com.au. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ Keam, Patrick (14 February 2020). "Basketball SA and Adelaide Premier League clubs agree to join NBL1 competition in 2020". The Advertiser. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ "NBL1 Season Cancelled". NBL.com.au. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.