NBL1 North
 | |
| Formerly | Queensland State Basketball League 1986–1993 CBA North 1994–1998 ABA North 1999–2001 Queensland Australian Basketball League 2002–2008 Queensland Basketball League 2009–2019 |
|---|---|
| Sport | Basketball |
| Founded | 1986 |
| First season | 1986 |
| No. of teams | M: 14 W: 14 |
| Country | Australia |
| Most recent champion(s) | M: Ipswich Force (1st title) W: Northside Wizards (1st title) |
| Most titles | M: Cairns Marlins (9 titles) W: Southern Districts Spartans (12 titles) |
| Related competitions | NBL1 Queensland State League |
| Official website | NBL1.com.au/North |
NBL1 North, formerly the Queensland Basketball League (QBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Queensland partnered with the National Basketball League (NBL) to bring NBL1 to Queensland. NBL1 replaced the former QBL to create more professional pathways and opportunities for males and females playing basketball in Queensland. As a result, the QBL became the north conference of NBL1. In 2022, the league expanded into the Northern Territory with the addition of a club from Darwin.
History
The league was formed in 1986 as the Queensland State Basketball League. In 1994, the league merged with the South and East conferences of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) to form a North conference.[1] 1998 saw further CBA expansion with the inclusion of a Central Conference from South Australia. The CBA was renamed the Australian Basketball Association (ABA) for the 1999 season and later added the Big V and the Waratah League for a total of six conferences. As a member of the ABA, the league took on the name of Queensland Australian Basketball League (QABL) in the early 2000s and set up a division system to separate the north and south teams within the state. The Sunstate (North Queensland) and Southern Cross (South Queensland) divisions were a big part of the league for a number of years, remaining in tacked up until the 2006 season. Following the 2006 season, the QABL restructured the competition, which saw the two divisions combining to have a statewide league of only one division for the 2007 season.[2] In 2009, the QABL became known as the QBL following the demise of the Australian Basketball Association.
In October 2019, Basketball Queensland and the National Basketball League (NBL) announced a new partnership to bring NBL1 to Queensland in 2020, with NBL1 replacing the QBL.[3] On 15 January 2020, the QBL was officially renamed NBL1 North and became the north conference of NBL1.[4] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was cancelled.[5]
For the 2022 season, the NBL1 North had a club from Darwin – the Darwin Salties – represented for the first time under the joint management of Darwin Basketball Association (DBA) and Basketball Northern Territory (BNT). It saw the NBL1 become the first Australian sport league to have clubs based in and playing out of every state and territory in Australia.[6]
Current clubs
*Teams that transferred from QBL.
List of Champions
| Team | Total Titles | Men's | Women's | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titles | Winning Seasons | Titles | Winning Seasons | |||
| Brisbane Spartans/Southern Districts Spartans | 17 | 5 | 1992, 1995, 1999, 2005, 2006 | 12 | 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2017, 2018, 2019 | |
| Brisbane Brewers/Brisbane Capitals | 10 | 2 | 2002, 2019 | 8 | 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2001, 2002 | Won the women's inaugural title in 1986. |
| Cairns Dolphins/Cairns Marlins | 10 | 9 | 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2016 | 1 | 1994 | |
| Townsville Flames/Townsville Heat/Townsville Sunbirds/Townsville Suns | 10 | 5 | 1986, 1989, 2000, 2017, 2018 | 5 | 1993, 1997, 2007, 2008, 2022 | Won the men's inaugural title in 1986. |
| Mackay Meteorettes/Mackay Meteors | 8 | 4 | 2011, 2012, 2015, 2021 | 4 | 1987, 2012, 2013, 2014 | |
| Rockhampton Cyclones/Rockhampton Rockets | 7 | 5 | 1996, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014 | 2 | 2015, 2016 | |
| Gladstone Port City Power | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2009, 2010, 2011 | ||
| Gold Coast Cougars/Gold Coast Rollers | 3 | 3 | 1987, 1988, 2022 | 0 | ||
| Toowoomba Mountaineers | 2 | 2 | 1990, 1991 | 0 | ||
| South West Metro Pirates | 1 | 1 | 2003 | 0 | ||
| Logan Thunder | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2021 | ||
| Northside Wizards | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2023 | ||
| Ipswich Force | 1 | 1 | 2023 | 0 | ||
References
- ^ Lilley, John (19 November 1993). "CBA becomes the 'big league' with Queensland's help". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
- ^ "Ipswich prepares for QABL transformation". QT.com.au. 30 November 2006. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
- ^ "NBL1 To Come To Queensland In 2020". NBL1.com.au. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ "NBL1 Expands To North And South Conferences". NBL1.com.au. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ "NBL1 Season Cancelled". NBL.com.au. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ "Darwin/ Basketball Northern Territory to make NBL1 a truly national competition". NBL1.com.au. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.