Basketball Australia and the Melbourne Basketball Association are delighted to announce that the Melbourne Tigers Senior Men’s team will be competing in the South East Australia Basketball League (SEABL) competition in 2016.
As the oldest basketball association in Australia, dating to the period prior to the formation of the Victorian Basketball Association in 1931, the Tigers have always aspired to and participated in the highest level of competition available.
With strong junior representation and adult domestic programs conducted across Melbourne, the Tigers hold firm to the key objective of providing elite participation at the highest level.
The elevation of the Tigers’ Senior Men’s team from Championship level in the Big V competition to the SEABL, is a positive step forward for the Melbourne Tigers Basketball Club.
It is expected that the Tigers’ senior women’s team will join the SEABL in 2017 and this staggered entry into the league by the club represents a responsible, reinvigoration of the Tigers senior brand.
“We have no doubt the move from the state championship in 2015 to the SEABL in 2016 for our men’s team will present a major challenge, but with some great new sponsors and a new administrative group, we believe we will be able to maintain the history of the Melbourne Tigers competing favorably,” said club icon Lindsay Gaze.
The Tigers inclusion into SEABL was ratified at the SEABL Annual General Meeting over the weekend.
The AGM was a significant one in the history of the league as along with the Melbourne Tigers inclusion, the formal wind up of the league was passed and the transfer formalised, a process which began 12 months ago.
“This transfer formally completes the transition of one of Australia’s elite basketball competitions into Basketball Australia,” said General Manager of Competitions, Paul Maley.
“As an organisation that has recently undergone a near complete overhaul, we are excited about our ability to promote and manage a league that plays an important role in the Australian basketball pathway.”
“To have an iconic team like the Melbourne Tigers return to the SEABL only further strengthens what is already one of the highest standard basketball league in the country.”
The Melbourne Basketball Association would like to publicly thank the current membership of the SEABL for granting admission in 2016. Both Basketball Australia and the Melbourne Tigers look forward to a continued successful partnership beyond.
In the spirit of reconciliation Basketball Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.