Australian Basketball Association
The Australian Basketball Association (ABA) was a semi-professional basketball competition in Australia. The competition had five leagues under its banner during the 2000s operating as conferences: South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL), Queensland Basketball League (QBL), Central Australian Basketball League (Central ABL), Big V and Waratah League. The ABA's roots can be traced back as far as 1965 and operated under many different names and structures until 2008.
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| Formerly | South Eastern Basketball League 1981–1987 South East Australian Basketball League 1988–1991 Continental Basketball Association 1992–1998 Australian Basketball Association 1999–2008 |
|---|---|
| Sport | Basketball |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Inaugural season | 1981 |
| Ceased | 2008 |
| Country | Australia |
| Continent | FIBA Oceania (Oceania) |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Related competitions | Big V Central ABL QBL SEABL Waratah League |
History
In 1965, the South Eastern Conference (SEC) was established. The SEC continued until 1971 when the Australian Club Championships gained pre-eminence.[1][2] The Australian Club Championships ceased operations after 1980 due to the rise of Australia's first truly national competition, the National Basketball League (NBL).[1][3]
In 1981, the SEC was reborn as the South Eastern Basketball League (SEBL).[1][3] The competition was known as SEBL for seven seasons until being officially known as the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) from 1988 to 1991.[4]
In 1994, the merger with the Queensland Basketball League (QBL) saw the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) grow to three conferences: North, South and East.[1] In 1998, the CBA saw further expansion with the inclusion of a Central Conference from South Australia.[1]
The CBA was restructured as the Australian Basketball Association (ABA) in 1999,[5] and over the next two years, the Big V from Victoria (2000) and the Waratah League from New South Wales (2001) was included as conferences for the first time.[1]
Starting in 2002, the champions of each of the six conferences and a number of wildcard entries competed at the annual ABA National Finals.[1] A brand change saw the Australian Club Championships (ACC) operate as the national finals series in 2007 and 2008.[6]
The ABA and ACC was abandoned following the 2008 season, resulting in the SEABL, QBL, Central ABL, Big V and Waratah League continuing on as independent leagues.[6]
List of National champions
Men
| Teams | Win | Loss | Total | Year(s) won | Year(s) lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballarat Miners | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1989, 1994, 1995 | 1990, 1991, 1992 |
| Cairns Marlins | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1998, 2004, 2007 | 1994, 1997 |
| Geelong Cats/Supercats | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1981, 1999, 2006 | — |
| Bulleen Boomers | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1984, 1990 | 1983, 1985, 1988 |
| Bendigo Braves | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1988, 2005 | 1989 |
| Hobart Chargers | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2000, 2002 | 2008 |
| Frankston Bears/Blues | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1982 | 1981, 1995, 1998 |
| Kilsyth Cobras | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1985 | 1999, 2000 |
| Sydney City Slickers/Sydney City Comets/Sydney Comets | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1992 | 1986, 2005 |
| Melbourne Tigers | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1983 | 1982 |
| Newcastle Hunters | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1986 | 1987 |
| Knox Raiders | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1991 | 1996 |
| North-West Tasmania Originals/Thunder | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1996 | 2004 |
| Adelaide Buffalos | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1987 | — |
| North East Melbourne Arrows | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1993 | — |
| Suncoast Clippers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1997 | — |
| Mount Gambier Pioneers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2003 | — |
| Rockhampton Rockets | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2008 | — |
| Dandenong Rangers | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 2006, 2007 |
| Chelsea Gulls | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 1984 |
| Murray Bridge Bullets | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 1993 |
| Australian Institute of Sport | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2002 |
Women
| Teams | Win | Loss | Total | Year(s) won | Year(s) lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayside/Frankston Blues | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1993, 1997, 2004 | 1991, 1992, 1994 |
| Knox Raiders | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1992, 1994, 1996 | 1998, 2005 |
| Bendigo Braves | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2000, 2003 | 2006 |
| Townsville Sunbirds/Flames | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2007, 2008 | 1997 |
| Dandenong Rangers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1990, 1991 | — |
| Kilsyth Cobras | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1998, 2002 | — |
| Ballarat Miners | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2005, 2006 | — |
| Launceston Tornadoes | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1995 | 1996 |
| Southern Districts Spartans | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1999 | — |
| Sturt Sabres | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 1990, 2002 |
| Broadmeadows Broncos | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 1993 |
| Adelaide Opals | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 1995 |
| Norwood Flames | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 1999 |
| Nunawading Spectres | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2000 |
| Forestville Eagles | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2003 |
| North Adelaide Rockets | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2004 |
| Hume City Broncos | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2007 |
| Sydney Comets | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2008 |
References
- "History of the ABA". ABABasketball.net.au. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012.
- "2007 ABA Media Guide" (PDF). ABABasketball.net.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2007.
- "FLASHBACK 21: SEBL Finals, Sept.20, 1986". BotiNagy.com. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
- "HISTORIC MOVE FOR AUSTRALIAN BASKETBALL". Basketball.net.au. 16 December 2014. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
- "Basketball Australia Annual Report 1998" (PDF). Basketball Australia. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
- "ACC National Finals 2009 and onwards". Basketball Queensland. 26 November 2008. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.