The National Wheelchair Basketball League (NWBL) is Australia's premier male wheelchair basketball league. It was established in 1988.[1]
| Sport | wheelchair basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1988 |
| No. of teams | 7 |
| Country | Australia |
| Most recent champion(s) | Wollongong Rollerhawks (2022) |
| Most titles | Perth Wheelcats (8) |
| Official website | [1] |
The competition seasons in 2020 and 2021 were not completed due to the COVID-19 pandemic with no team declared the winner for either season.[2][3] The 2023 Season was replaced with a Tournament style format which was not part of the NWBL.[4]
In 2024 Basketball Australia announced the formation of Wheelchair Basketball Australia to manage the Mens and Womens National Wheelchair Basketball Leagues in Australia, with the NWBL and WNWBL competitions to re-commence.[5]
Rules
editGames are played in accordance with International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Rules[6] with some minor variations:[7]
- While the NWBL is a predominantly Male competition, the league also permits Female players.
- Players are classified in accordance with IWBF procedures, except that teams can apply to Wheelchair Basketball Australia for certain players to be "Red Card Players". The following players are eligible to be Red Card Players:
- Rookie Players (First Season in NWBL)
- Junior Players (Under 23 Years of age as at the end of the playing year)
- Female Players
- (Junior or Rookie players who have represented their country at an international competition are not eligible for a Red Card.)
- Each team may have up to 14 Points on the court at any one time, except that for each Red Card Player teams may have 1 additional point on the court (up to a maximum of 2 additional points). Teams may not have two 4.5 point players on the court at once (unless one is a Red Card Player).
In 2024, each team will play each other team 3 times in the Season with the top 4 teams playing in the Finals Weekend at one venue.
2024 teams
edit| Team | Location | Joined | Titles | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide Thunder | Adelaide, SA | 1988 (Founding Team) | 6 (Inaugural Champions) | [2] |
| Darwin Salties | Darwin, NT | 2022 | 0* (2023 Wheelchair Leagues Cup Champions) | [3] |
| Manly Wheel Eagles | Northern Beaches, Sydney, NSW | 2024 | 0 | [4] |
| Perth Wheelcats | Perth, WA | 1988 (Founding Team) | 8 | [5] |
| Red Dust Heelers | Country VIC | 2013 | 0 | [6] |
| Southern District Spartans | Brisbane, QLD | 2024 | 0 | [7] |
| Wollongong Roller Hawks | Wollongong, NSW | 2001 | 7 | [8] |
Former Teams
edit- Aussie Spinners
- Dandenong Rangers
- Kilsyth Cobras
- Queensland Spinning Bullets
- Sydney Comets
- Sydney Metro Blue Hornets
- West Sydney Slix
- West Sydney Razorbacks
Champions
edit| Year | Team | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Adelaide 86ers | [8] |
| 1989 | Sydney Cobras | [8] |
| 1990 | Adelaide Steam | [8] |
| 1991 | Adelaide Steam | [8] |
| 1992 | Sydney Slix | [8] |
| 1993 | Adelaide Thunder | [8] |
| 1994 | Adelaide Thunder | [8] |
| 1995 | Adelaide Thunder | [8] |
| 1996 | Sydney Comets | [8] |
| 1997 | West Sydney Slix | [8] |
| 1998 | West Sydney Slix | [8] |
| 1999 | Sydney Comets | [8] |
| 2000 | Dandenong Rangers | [8] |
| 2001 | West Sydney Razorbacks | [8] |
| 2002 | Perth Wheelcats | [8] |
| 2003 | Wollongong Rollerhawks | [8] |
| 2004 | West Sydney Razorbacks | [8] |
| 2005 | West Sydney Razorbacks | [8] |
| 2006 | Perth Wheelcats | [8] |
| 2007 | Perth Wheelcats | [8] |
| 2008 | Perth Wheelcats | [8] |
| 2009 | Perth Wheelcats | [8] |
| 2010 | Perth Wheelcats | [8] |
| 2011 | Wollongong Rollerhawks | [8] |
| 2012 | Wollongong Rollerhawks | [8] |
| 2013 | Perth Wheelcats | [8] |
| 2014 | Perth Wheelcats | [8] |
| 2015 | Kilsyth Cobras | [9] |
| 2016 | Kilsyth Cobras | [8] |
| 2017 | Wollongong Rollerhawks | [10] |
| 2018 | Wollongong Rollerhawks | [8] |
| 2019 | Wollongong Rollerhawks | [8] |
| 2020 | Season Abandoned | [2] |
| 2021 | Season Abandoned | [3] |
| 2022 | Wollongong Rollerhawks | [8] |
| 2023 | Not Played | [4] |
References
edit- ^ "Wheelchair Basketball to make a shot for a World Record". BasketballSA.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Basketball Australia's Statement on the 2020 Wheelchair Basketball League Season". Basketball Australia. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
- ^ a b "2021 Season Announcement". WBA Official Facebook Page.
- ^ a b "National Wheelchair Leagues Set to Tip Off". Basketball Australia. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
- ^ "WBA Launches New Era of Wheelchair Basketball". Basketball Australia. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
- ^ "2023 IWBF Rules" (PDF).
- ^ "WBA Competition Rules and Regulations" (PDF).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae "WBA Past Champions".
- ^ "COBRAS WIN 2015 NWBL CHAMPIONSHIP". Basketball.net.au. 24 August 2015. Archived from the original on 22 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ "2017 FINALS REVIEW". SportsTG.com. 21 August 2017. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.