Hoops

Vince Marino steps away from Lightning

So why play her for the rest f the season..lol you got nothing to lose..

Lightning are playing in WHyalla in a few weeks. Whyala basketball association paying the cost of relocating everyone (players and officials) from Adelaide to Whyalla and return. Then the association tries to cover its costs with local sponsorship etc becasue its a one off special event.
Whyalla's stadium had the floor replaced 2 years ago and has brand new air conditioning installed this month.

This concept can work where double headers not available. Regional centers don't have access to elete sport and the communities lap it up.
But like all businesses the WNBL clubs need to reduce costs. Only pay what they can afford. Live within their means. etc. etc

Thw WNBL is really a great womens competition with some of the absolute best in the world playing here every season. It has ,more world class players than the NBL. But it is womens sport and attracts very small following and so even less financial backing.
We really do need to appreciate the money put in by the likes of Vince Marino who has his faults but has blown millions of his hard earnt money to keep a WNBL licence in SA.

Obviously the players are paid too much. Not because the don't work hard enough and not because their product in not good. Its just that the public are not buying it. But pay them less and the good ones won't be here.
How does a national womesn soccer league run? How did that ever get on TV?

And btw there is no shame in not keeping up with "the Dandenongs of the world". They're blessed with an owner with way too much cash to throw around. Unless your club has that same luxury, trying to keep up with it is suicide.
Something in the league rules probably needs to be done about that situation. It's great to have the Taylors and Pondexters of the world ... the very elite ... playing in our comp. But if it gets to the stage where only one team can afford to have them, and even that one team can only do so by non sustainable means, then is it healthy?

I know it ain't cheap.
The obvious start is Adelaide Arena.
Do a handful of spectators really need an 8,000 seat stadium? I don't know Adelaide but surely there has to be something more suitably sized/priced?

I'm curious about why training court hire would be $40k too. Seems nuts to be paying that much.

Adelaide have always had high budget teams, yes.
They'll have to live a little more realistically now, assuming they do get to live on.
Welcome to financial reality. Same place the Breakers/Lynx/Waves have been for about 14 seasons now.

If you think whatever they are doing they need to find another $500K/season in revenue. Attendances in women's sport is poor, but if there are 14 home games, then that works out to be about $36K per game. Assuming a $20 ticket, attendances would need to rise by about 1,800/game.

Thanks Vince for all you have done.

Thanks Vince for all you have done.

I guess that's a reasonable indication of roughly what the shortfall is per season - $500K and what a new owner could be potentially looking at funding.

To make it worthwhile, any new ownership group would need to look at their business plan very carefully.

Yikes!
Well he's been hinting for a long time now. Plenty of time for some contingency plans to at least be sounded out.
A WNBL without the Lightning would just be wrong.