MOUNT Gambier’s only national sporting team is under threat after Basketball Australia advised at Saturday’s league meeting it will pull its support from the South East Australian Basketball League post the 2019 season.
The Mount Gambier Pioneers has been a benchmark in the competition over the last half a decade, winning three national championships in four years – between 2014 and 2017 – with four in total, including their first taste of success in 2003.
The team showcases both local and imported talent and provides a drawcard for the Blue Lake city on Friday night home games at the iconic Icehouse.
In a media statement provided by the Pioneers yesterday, it was stated Basketball Australia “will cease to administer the league post the 2019 season and will not sanction an independent SEABL from that time”.
“Without BA’s sanction, the league is unable to operate as we know,” the statement said.
“The Pioneers sincerely hope that BA and the SEABL member clubs are able to cooperate in order to preserve the history of the league and the outstanding outcomes it achieves, not only for basketball, but in communities like Mount Gambier.”
The Pioneers board is working with all relevant parties to achieve the best outcome and ensure the presence of the Pioneers in a national basketball competition.
More details to come next week.
