Photo from wnbl.basketball

QUEENSLAND (Australia) - The 2020 Chemist Warehouse Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) is pushing through as planned in the North Queensland hub next month, Basketball Australia and Queensland Government announced today.

Under the restructured season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all eight WNBL teams will relocate and stay in North Queensland for a semi-bubble setting.

The regions of Cairns and Mackay and the City of Townsville will serve as temporary homes of the six-week 2020 WNBL Season starting on November 12.

The Grand Finals of the longest-running women’s sports competition in Australia is set on December 20 after 14 elimination games and playoffs.

There will be eight games will be played in the Mackay Basketball Stadium, 20 in Cairns Pop-Up Arena while 32 games including the championship will be hosted by Townsville Stadium and Townsville Entertainment Centre.

For health safety measures, the entire WNBL delegation that includes players, coaches, officials, and staff are expected to arrive in Brisbane this month and will undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine before staying in North Queensland.

“The passion and commitment of all involved in the league and their unwavering love of Australian basketball are the core reasons why players, coaches, officials and club staff will be making significant sacrifices to ensure the 2020 Chemist Warehouse WNBL season is contested,” said Basketball Australia Head of Women in Basketball Lauren Jackson.

“The WNBL is one of the world’s best elite basketball leagues and we have such depth in talent within Australian women’s basketball. The 2020 season plays a pivotal role in preparing the Chemist Warehouse Australian Opals for two important global tournaments and I want to thank all parties for the selfless and big picture approach in wanting to ensure the season went ahead.”

For Basketball Australia CEO Jerril Rechter, this historic WNBL opener also marks a three-year calendar for the Opals in a bid to deliver big in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup – which will be hosted by Australia.

“All of this as basketball finds itself on the doorstep of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics where the Chemist Warehouse Australian Opals are eyeing glory again and, just twelve months later, the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup will be hosted by Sydney,” said Rechter, who also thanked Queensland Government for making this possible.

But more than basketball, the WNBL opener is also seen as a massive lift to Queensland in rebuilding economy and tourism after a hit from the pandemic.

“Major events are an important part of my Government’s strategy to continue rebuilding and growing our economy and to support local jobs. The tourism and events sectors throughout our state have done it tough this year. Major sporting events pump millions of dollars into local businesses. Securing the WNBL is a great win for the whole of North Queensland and a dream come true for basketball fans in the region,” said Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

“Through our major boost to events funding, we’re working hard to secure more events like this to support tourism businesses to rebuild and recover faster,” added Tourism Minister Kate Jones.

FIBA