THE Australian basketball system is growing on a yearly basis, gaining more and more global recognition thanks to the improving quality. While the men’s competitions are steadily expanding, arguably the bigger story is the development of women’s basketball, which has transcended quiet achiever status to become a prominent presence in a matter of years.

The WNBL is thriving, and producing international stars each calendar year. The effects of such growth has reached lower levels too, highlighted by the launch of the National Basketball League (NBL)1 East’s Women’s competition this weekend.

It would be fair to assume that basketball in the NSW/ACT area hasn’t exactly been thriving in recent years, partially due to being left behind while other states participated in their own NBL1 competitions. Finally, a new league has reached the Eastern seaboard, with NBL1 East kicking off for the first time in the next couple of days, giving a bigger opportunity to the area’s female players looking to take the next step in their development.

There will be 12 sides set to compete in this competition, all with a male counterpart competing in their own league. Already, squads have been built with a strong mix of experienced and local talent on board for the inaugural season. There has been an expression of excitement from some of the signed players, with promising Central Coast and WNBL championship player Elizajane Loader publicly stating how keen she is for the season to begin. There are a number of players signed on with similar resumes, so fans will see some of the best hit the court.

Check out our team introduction series below, where we took a look at each club and their journey to get into the NBL1 East competition.

Canberra Gunners/Nationals
>> TEAM INTRODUCTION

Central Coast Crusaders
>> TEAM INTRODUCTION

Hills Hornets
>> TEAM INTRODUCTION

Illawarra Hawks
>> TEAM INTRODUCTION

Inner West Bulls
>> TEAM INTRODUCTION

Maitland Mustangs
>> TEAM INTRODUCTION

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
>> TEAM INTRODUCTION

Newcastle Basketball
>> TEAM INTRODUCTION

Norths Bears
>> TEAM INTRODUCTION

Sutherland Sharks
>> TEAM INTRODUCTION

The fixture for Round 1 kicks off at Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium, where the Central Coast Crusaders host the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles on Saturday afternoon. It is the first of four matches scheduled for Saturday, with plenty of exciting basketball action taking place around NSW. There will be one more match played on Sunday afternoon between the Norths Bears and the Canberra Nationals, wrapping up what should be an entertaining opening round. Each side will be looking to get off to the best start possible and make a name for themselves early, so expect some high-quality contests.

Check out the full fixture below:

Central Coast Crusaders

Saturday, April 2 | 4:00 pm AEDT

Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

Inner West Bulls

Saturday, April 2 | 5:00 pm AEDT

Els Hall Park

Hills Hornets

Newcastle Falcons

Saturday, April 2 | 5:00 pm AEDT

Newcastle Basketball Stadium

Maitland Mustangs

Illawarra Hawks

Saturday, April 2 | 5:30 pm AEDT

The Snakepit Stadium

Sutherland Sharks

Norths Bears

Sunday, April 3 | 12:00 pm AEST

North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre

Canberra Nationals