The Malinauskas Labor Government has stepped in to save the Adelaide Lightning, reaching an agreement with the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) for South Australia's elite women's basketball side to continue in the national competition.
The Adelaide Lightning is one of the WNBL's most successful clubs, winning five championships since entering the league in 1993.
The future of an Adelaide team in the WNBL was cast into doubt after previous owners relinquished their license to Basketball Australia in August 2024. The new agreement will help support the League to transition the club to new ownership.
To support the move, the South Australian Government will provide significant financial and in-kind support, joining forces with the new WNBL ownership group
to ensure the continued and sustainable growth of women's basketball in South Australia.
The total in-kind and financial contribution will be $571,000 per year for 3 years.
The agreement will see the Adelaide Lightning train at the newly opened $88 million South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) headquarters, a nation-leading elite sporting facility in the Mile End sports precinct.
Player education and coach mentoring through SASI will be provided under the new agreement, enabling the team to access world-class services and support.
The Lightning will also have access to office space, a training gym and court, as well as medical and physiotherapy support.
The State Government will also contribute $100,000 a year for the next three years to help deliver community-based programs which encourage and support girls and women to play basketball – and provide a pathway to succeed at the elite level.
The State Government will continue to support the Adelaide Lightning through the THINK! Road Safety partnership, worth more than $100,000 a year.
The brand new SASI facility includes:
- Strength and conditioning gym, featuring a five-lane synthetic turf testing space (three lanes are 60m and two lanes are 40m) and anti-gravity treadmill.
- Environmental chamber for athlete testing under a range of temperature, hypoxic and humidity conditions.
- Full sized indoor sprung timber court and half court movement studio, designed for instant performance analysis under individual and team modes.
- Physiology laboratory and athlete health rooms.
- Athlete recovery centre, complete with athlete nutrition zone, hot and cold pools and dual saunas.
As put by Peter Malinauskas
It was unthinkable that the Adelaide Lightning could not be a fixture in the WNBL. We won't let it happen.
We are not going to get kids off screens and grow the number of active female sports participants if we don't have teams like the Adelaide Lightning promoting basketball and physical activity to young girls.
The significant financial and in-kind support we are providing will give our elite basketballers access to one of the best high-performance facilities in the country, and will encourage more women and girls onto the court.
This is a fundamentally good thing and will help inspire the next Rachael Sporn or Steph Talbot.
As put by Emily Bourke
The legacy of Adelaide Lightning will continue, and a new chapter in our state's sporting history is about to begin.
We've acted quickly to make this happen, working with the league to get a result that's a win for the club and community who fought for its future.
Our Government backs in women and girls in sport and supporting the growth of basketball – starting at the grassroots level – is a key driver of these efforts.
As put by WNBL CEO Jennie Sager
Adelaide has a rich history in the WNBL, producing many star athletes who are also Olympians and WNBA champions.
It was always our preference to keep a team here and we are incredibly grateful for the support from the South Australian government which allows us to do so.
Today's announcement ensures players can live, train, and compete in an environment that respects and supports them.
This outcome is the result of genuine collaboration, and I'd like to thank the South Australian government for uniting with us to protect and grow women's basketball in Australia.
This is the beginning of a new chapter, and we look forward to seeing everyone in the community at a game here in Adelaide.
As put by Chair of Wollemi Capital Group and Majority Owner of the WNBL Robyn Denholm
We are proud to partner with the South Australian Government to build the new era of the WNBL ensuring the next generation of female basketballers have an elite pathway and competition.
Our vision is to be a global leader in women's sport. The new WNBL delivers the largest investment in Australian basketball history including a Collective Bargaining Agreement that achieves pro-rata pay parity for our female athletes.
We want to continue to build our world class talent here in the lead up to the 2032 Olympics and beyond.
As put by Lightning legend Rachael Sporn
On behalf of the South Australian basketball community we are so eternally grateful to the State Government for stepping in and putting their full support behind ensuring that we continue to have an SA-based WNBL team.
It is crucial that we have a pathway and role models to aspire to for our current and future junior basketballers.
After so much uncertainty over the last few weeks, this wonderful news is exactly what we were all hoping for and that our rich history can continue in a national competition.
