Australia’s national elite women’s basketball league is at a crossroads after the Perth Lynx collapsed under the weight of financial losses.
Just a week after Collingwood announced it would return its license to its Suncorp Super Netball franchise, Australia’s professional women’s sport has taken another serious blow with the Lynx license up for sale.
The eight WNBL clubs collectively lost nearly $5 million last season, and the Lynx is the only club run by a state association.
In the end, those crippling losses were more than Basketball Western Australia could bear.
It has led to increased pressure on Basketball Australia to relinquish control of the WNBL it has owned and operated for 43 years.
The Perth Lynx license was owned by Basketball WA but is now up for sale due to mounting debt
All WNBL clubs bleed money, but the Lynx was the only club owned by a state association
Perth’s players and coaching staff now face an uncertain future ahead of the 2023/24 WNBL season
While the women’s elite league costs money, the men’s NBL — which is independently owned and operated — has turned a corner in recent years and is turning a profit.
Majority shareholder of NBL Larry Kestelman offered to help Basketball Australia revive the WNBL in April and pressure is mounting for the women’s league to follow a similar model to the NBL.
Acting chief executive of Basketball WA Evan Stewart said the Lynx was vital for roads, but said the difficult decision had to be made for financial stability.
The Lynx license is now for sale.
‘We have invested members every year [state association] money in the Lynx and we were happy to do that, but we can’t do this with significant losses as we suffered,” Stewart told the Announce sun.
“It’s been a bit of a balance between us owning the team because we think it’s a path versus making sure we don’t lose too much money.”
‘In the coming week we will go out more formally, looking for a private investor, a partner or a new owner.
“We will not just give it away to the wrong people, we will go through a thorough process and we will do what we think is best for the trail and for our organization to be in a more positive place than what it has the last three seasons.’
The Townsville Fire won the 2022/23 WNBL series, but the league’s future is now in doubt with the Perth Lynx decision
While the level of competition in the WNBL is high, it is struggling to make money and all clubs are in debt by 2022
There are fears that other WNBL clubs will follow suit.
Evans said the financial strain stemmed largely from increased competition in the elite women’s sports landscape.
Over the last 20 years, Australia has seen the rise of professional cricket, football, AFL and NRL women’s teams, each claiming their own share of the pie.
Evans said the model that once worked for the WNBL should be revised.
“There’s a lot more competition in women’s national sports leagues today and it can’t be organized like it was 20 years ago,” Stewart said.
“We have to keep up with the times and I think the league is certainly doing a good job of looking at that.
“We believe BA will do some positive things in the next 12 months to make the league more competitive, which is needed.
“No one denies that.”
The Magpies’ Shimona Nelson leaves the field for one of the last times ever after the club announced it would return its Suncorp Super Netball license
Magpies players now face an uncertain future with a limited number of clubs and positions available for next season
Collingwood has decided to focus on its AFL and AFLW business models and has returned its netball license
It comes after Collingwood Magpies Netball CEO Craig Kelly announced that the club would revoke its Suncorp Super Netball license at the end of this season.
“It’s very hard because the girls are in pain,” Richardson revealed.
“I don’t know what kind of performance they will put on.
“Emotionally, physically, mentally it’s been a tough week. We’ve got to get close to each other.’
As the Magpies posted a $7 million profit in 2022, the club made the decision to return the license to focus on AFL and AFLW operations.
“While we are disappointed by Collingwood’s decision, we thank them for participating in the Suncorp Super Netball competition,” Kelly Ryan, CEO of Netball Australia, said in a statement.
‘It had recently become clear that Collingwood’s priorities had shifted from korfball to the core activity of football.’