Newcastle Falcons is a NBL1 East club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 East. The club is a division of Newcastle Basketball, the major administrative basketball organisation in the region. The Falcons play their home games at Newcastle Basketball Stadium.
| Newcastle Falcons | |
|---|---|
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| Leagues | NBL1 East |
| Founded | 1983 |
| History | Newcastle Hunters 1983–2021 Newcastle Falcons 2022–present |
| Arena | Newcastle Basketball Stadium |
| Capacity | 2,200 |
| Location | Newcastle, New South Wales |
| Team colors | Red, navy blue, white |
| CEO | Ian McKensey |
| President | Erica James |
| Vice-president(s) | Larry Davidson |
| General manager | Jan Stirling (Interim) |
| Head coach | M: Josh Morgan W: Kristy Bultitude |
| Ownership | Newcastle Basketball |
| Championships | Men: ABA (1)Waratah League (2)Women: Waratah League / NBL1 East (4) |
| Conference titles | Men: SEABL (1) |
| Website | newcastlebasketball.com.au |
Club history
editIn 1983, Newcastle Basketball began fielding a men's team in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL).[1] The Newcastle Hunters were SEABL South champions[2][3] and ABA National champions in 1986. They were ABA runners-up in 1987.[4]
In 1990, Newcastle Basketball entered a team in the inaugural SEABL women's competition.[1] The women's team was originally known as the Newcastle Scorpions.[5] Both the men's team and women's team left the SEABL following the 1998 season.[1]
In 2000, the Hunters men won the Basketball NSW Premier League.[6] The following year, the Premier Division was renamed the Waratah League, with the league joining the Australian Basketball Association (ABA).[7] The Hunters men were Waratah League runners-up in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2011.[7]
In 2016, the Hunters women were crowned Waratah League champions for the first time.[8] In 2018, the men won their first championship since 2000.[9] In 2019, the women won their second championship in four seasons.[10] The 2021 women's championship was shared by the Hunters and the Sutherland Sharks after the season was cut short in August due to lockdowns as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]
In late 2021, following the club's admission to the new NBL1 East competition replacing the Waratah League,[12] Newcastle Basketball surveyed the local community to gauge support for a potential rebranding of the club. The club was subsequently renamed the Newcastle Falcons (after the defunct national league NBL franchise of the same name) after 51% of the survey's respondents voted for the change of name.[13][14]
In 2024, the Falcons women reached the NBL1 East Grand Final, where they defeated the Sutherland Sharks 85–78 to win the NBL1 East championship.[15][16]
References
edit- ^ a b c "SEABL Ladders History" (PDF). seabl.com.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2008.
- ^ "PAST CHAMPIONS". seabl.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 June 2002.
- ^ "FORMER CHAMPIONS". seabl.com.au. Archived from the original on 25 June 2008.
- ^ "ABA PREMIER AND RUNNERS-UP CLUBS". ababasketball.net.au. Archived from the original on 7 April 2001.
- ^ "NAME OUR TEAM". Newcastle Basketball. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Keeble, Brett (17 August 2018). "Newcastle Hunters aiming to do the double - winning both the men's and women's Waratah Basketball League grand finals". newcastleherald.com.au. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ a b "History". Waratah League. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ "2016 MOLTEN WARATAH LEAGUE CHAMPIONS". Waratah League. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ Gardiner, James (8 March 2019). "Basketball: Hunters ready to be the hunted in Waratah League championship defence". newcastleherald.com.au. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ Keeble, Brett (18 August 2019). "Basketball: Hunters save best for last to win championship". newcastleherald.com.au. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ "BASKETBALL NSW COMPETITIONS, HIGH-PERFORMANCE & COMMUNITY PROGRAMS UPDATE". bnsw.com.au. 12 August 2021. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021.
- ^ "NBL1 East teams unveiled". NBL1.com.au. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ Gardner, James (30 October 2021). "Newcastle basketball fans vote to resurrect Falcons". Newcastle Herald. Australian Community Media. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ "TAKING FLIGHT". Newcastle Basketball. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ Pike, Chris (10 August 2024). "Recap NBL1 East | Women's Grand Final". NBL1.com.au. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "Newcastle Falcons win the 2024 NBL1 East women's championship". NBL1.com.au. 10 August 2024. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.