WITH a delayed start to the season courtesy of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) have announced the fixture to their upcoming 2021/22 season. The league was initially slated to start in early November, but this was bumped back by a month in an attempt to conduct their business under minimal restrictions between the states. This goal looks to be achieved, with states such as South Australia and Victoria recently announcing the easing of restrictions, and the WNBL season looks set to take place with little to no interruptions.

In a strong return to normality, the season will contain a whopping 84 regular season games, with the recently announced broadcast deal set to see all of these matches broadcast on Kayo. The season-opener delay will also mean there are likely fans in the building for a large majority of the season.

There are plenty of highlights among the released fixture, arguably none more so than the grand final rematch, which will see the Southside Flyers take on the Townsville Fire on December 23. Last year’s decider saw the Flyers emerge victorious after a season as the league’s most dominant side, but the Fire and their peers will be looking to shut down the reigning champions early.

With Townsville likely keen to snag some revenge on their opponents, this grand final rematch should prove essential viewing for basketball fans around Australia.

The league has also announced round seven will act as a mental health awareness in round 7, which is likely to receive acclaim from fans and players around the country for good reason.

Round 13 will also carry some significance, with the block of games announced as the annual indigenous round as the league approaches their finals series. With plenty of indigenous players around the league, this round always delivers some cracking contests.

WNBL executive general manager Paul Maley said the biggest excitement for the upcoming season is the return of crowds, which is set to ignite the atmosphere at every game played this season.

“The priority this season is for the players to play in front of fans, it’s imperative for our clubs and the ;eague that we have a home and away season,” he said.

“The delay to the season opener will allow us to have crowds at the games which is a great win for the fans.

“We continue to operate in unprecedented times and we will continue to work with relevant government organisations to ensure the safety of the players and fans comes first.”

>> FIND THE FULL 2021/22 WNBL FIXTURE HERE

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