Australia Waratah League
Wikipedia - NBL1 East
NBL1 East, formerly the Waratah League, is a semi-professional basketball league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2021, Basketball New South Wales partnered with the National Basketball League (NBL) to bring NBL1 to New South Wales in 2022. NBL1 replaced the former Waratah League to create more professional pathways and opportunities for males and females playing basketball in New South Wales. As a result, the Waratah League became the east conference of NBL1. The league was previously a member of the Australian Basketball Association (ABA) from 2001 to 2008.
History
In 1991, the New South Wales Premier Division was established. In 2001, the league was rebranded as Waratah League when the league entered the Australian Basketball Association (ABA).
In 2021, Basketball New South Wales and the National Basketball League (NBL) announced a new partnership to bring NBL1 to New South Wales in 2022, with NBL1 replacing the Waratah League. The Waratah League was officially renamed NBL1 East and became the east conference of NBL1.
Australia Waratah League er den høyeste profesjonelle basketballligaen for kvinner i Australia. Den ble etablert i 1989 og består av åtte lag fra hele landet. Ligaen spilles over en regulær sesong etterfulgt av et sluttspill.
De nåværende mesterne er Sydney Flames, som har vunnet de siste tre mesterskapene. Andre fremtredende lag i ligaen inkluderer Melbourne Boomers, Perth Lynx og Adelaide Lightning.
Australia Waratah League har produsert mange talentfulle spillere som har representert Australia i internasjonale konkurranser. Noen av de mest kjente spillerne inkluderer Lauren Jackson, Liz Cambage og Jenna O'Hea.
Ligaen er kjent for sitt høye ferdighetsnivå og konkurransedyktige kamper. Den er en viktig del av australsk basketball og fortsetter å inspirere unge jenter til å ta opp idretten.