Blitz to Test Darwin's NBL Appetite

By Dan Woods 

With the upcoming NBL Blitz scheduled to take place in Darwin this year, the pre-season tournament will act as a barometer for not only the interest in the NBL in the Northern Territory, but the potential for Darwin to enter the competition as an expansion team in the future, according to NBL chief operations officer Vince Crivelli.

The Blitz is scheduled to take place between September 16-23 , and will feature 15 games in an intense week of pre-season action.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">?? GET YOUR BLITZ FIX ??<br><br>The schedule for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> Blitz in Darwin is here!<br><br>15 BIG games over 8 days at the Darwin Basketball Association and streaming live on Kayo Freebies.<br><br>Tickets go on sale on August 19 and all the info is at <a href="https://t.co/DwbCyBdH98">https://t.co/DwbCyBdH98</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1554965932304637952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“This is a really great test for everyone if we can come together and make it work,” Crivelli said.

“What we need to test now is whether or not there’s an appetite from the consumer, the business community and the government to bring it all together … (it will) test out the appetite for the National Basketball League."

Those keen to see the NBL expand into Darwin only need to look south for inspiration, with Tasmania earning a side in the competition after holding a successful Blitz tournament in 2019.

The JackJumpers defied the odds to make an inspirational run to the NBL grand final in their first season in the competition where they fell to the Sydney Kings.

“Tasmania is a really great test case,” Crivelli said.

“We were able to go from zero to launching a team in 18 months, and that including the rebuild of a facility … all during Covid.

“We’ve made no secret of the fact that what we did in Tasmania is repeatable and it would be amazing to have an NBL team here in Darwin … basketball is a fast-growing sport here in Darwin, as it was in Tasmania.”

A strong indicator of the engagement with basketball in Darwin has been how the community has rallied around the Darwin Salties in NBL1 North this season.

Led by Melbourne United guard Makuach Maluach and Australian basketball legend Nate Jawai, the Salties made it to the quarter finals of the competition, before suffering defeat at the hands of USC Rip City.

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The Salties averaged 1,200 fans at their home games this season and set a record attendance figure for the competition in their final home game of the season.

“The Salties have no doubt really raised the bar when it comes to lifting the profile of basketball locally,” Crivelli said.

“Their brand name is unbelievable, it’s one of the best in Australian sport. We’re looking forward to riding on their coattails.”

During the Blitz, 3x3 Pro Hustle teams will also battle it out in Darwin’s Waterfront Precinct. Teams can register here for the chance to win great prizes. 

Tickets to the Hungry Jack's NBL Blitz go on sale on Friday, August 19 at nblblitz.com.au.