Hoops

Mal to 36ers staff: prepare to close the doors

Can someone please clarify as to whether South and Perth have got an examption from the $1m guarantee? Because if they have, but don't let us in without a guarantee the new league is just as big a joke as the last one.

I agree with Bretts the Man as well. Pretty f'kin piss poor that Mal has let things get to this stage. He must have known that getting the $1m guarantee was going to be an issue ages ago. Why was the basketball community in SA not given a chance to get involved earlier to save the club? Cairns and Wollongong had massive campaigns with national media coverage to keep them alive FFS!

I think the point of the press release was to poke BA. Sixers cash flow problem is directly linked to the procrastinations of BA. No early bird packages, no sponsorship etc until we get some clarity about ANYTHING. Sixers can solve cash flow, just don't have a cool 1m in the bank (who does). I couldn't believe that South and Perth had guarantee waived... If South and Perth don't have to come up with 1m why should we? In the space of two weeks everything has gone from buoyant optimism to total despair. If my team disappears I'm going to go and get a membership at Norwood FC. I can't take any more ineptitude...

The new league and the Sixers franchise are both rapidly becoming a total cluster.

Very sad panda.

I can tell you now Mal has been asking for a very premium price on the 36ers, hence why they have not sold.
Not happy to break even on the buy in price Mal got them for, but asking for a nice little profit to boot.

NMM obviously believes Mal has done something to him to hurt him, you don't usually have this much angst against someone!

Hope this uncertainty can resolve itself quickly as no Sixers will not be nice.

IMO, the whole new NBL saga appears to have been poorly managed. I look at how the netball transformed itself from the Commonwealth Bank Trophy to the Trans-Tasman Trophy. Yes, some clubs were told they would not be part of the mix, but it was handled quickly and without interuption. All other sports seem to be able to make structural changes to their competition quickly and concisely, why can't basketball?

Doesn't sound good. I think everyone wants to get on board, but uncertainty must be removed quickly to ensure the Sixers are playing in the NBL. Adelaide 36ers Position Statement. The Adelaide 36ers are seeking immediate clarification as to their position in a new National Basketball League. Due to financial impositions by the NBL that the 36ers consider inappropriate and unwarranted and overall uncertainty surrounding the League structure, the organization finds itself in an untenable position that must be resolved. Team owner Mal Hemmerling believes that one of Australias most storied professional basketball organizations now faces its greatest challenge. Despite drawing the Leagues most consistently large crowds, having a 27 year history in the highest competition and at various stages being a profitable business, there are now a financial impositions being required that is without precedent. We simply cannot move forward without certainty that we are part of a new League. This time of year is crucial in terms of season ticket pre-sales and sponsorship income being brought into the club. It is the lifeblood of any professional team. Again, gaining this income is currently impossible. The collective financial position of teams from various codes has been severely eroded and daily newspaper coverage is testament to the plight of other teams in Adelaide struggling under the weight of the financial downturn. This is the world we live in. Its a hard slog at any time - let alone at a time when youre not aware of your place within your own competition and League, and what the structure of that League will be. It leads to a state of suspended animation, and we cannot continue that Hemmerling stated. Legal clarification is being sought from Basketball Australia and the NBL as to the Adelaide 36ers position, including the requirement or otherwise for a one million dollar bank guarantee. Adelaides position within any new League and indeed the composition of that League overall, still hasnt been declared, and the club does not believe the financial impositions to be appropriate. Over our history in this League, spanning nearly three decades, weve paid our dues. The Adelaide 36ers have done an enormous amount for the growth of the sport, and thats a tribute to Adelaides basketball fans, corporate support, media and general interest. We feel like weve been a good corporate citizen in terms of our place in the League. In our opinion, the NBL should know what they are getting and feel comfortable with the Adelaide 36ers. However, in view of the uncertainty surrounding the League and the financial impositions being put forward, we are being as transparent as we possibly can be by declaring we wont be moving forward as a business unless things are sorted out promptly. We are working to a firm deadline of mid-May at which time, if there are no definitive answers from the League to our satisfaction, we will simply cease to be able to run an ongoing business Hemmerling stated. We continue to work on getting answers and we are travelling down all possible avenues to get those answers and we need an urgent resolution. Over the next few weeks I will be interstate due to previous commitments, and as such I have engaged Jeff Van Groningen to assist me over the short term with advice, feedback and recommendations. We hope for a resolution but have released our position today in the interest of transparency. It all gets back to the League removing the current uncertainty and taking away the financial impositions which we believe are unwarranted, Hemmerling concluded.

You might just about break even on owning the sixers, by playing 15 games at the dome.
That's if you didn't have to stake $1M on it, and it's depending on what BA are doing and availability of the dome.

Here is the link: http://linky.com.au/09amy

"ADELAIDE 36ers owner Mal Hemmerling yesterday informed staff at his NBL club to prepare to "close the doors" while Basketball Australia reaffirmed it will not budge on its $1 million bank criteria."