Basketball South Australia has a rich history
Basketball South Australia is proud of their history and where Basketball was founded in South Australia. Follow along the timeline to see where our great game came from. If you are looking for more history, check out the Basketball SA History Facebook Page
1897 – First game of Basketball played in South Australia, played at the OBI between YMCA and a Morman Church Team
1898 – 1st regular Competition session begins
1907 – Basketball in South Australian Country areas begins with competition games at Pt Pirie, Peterborough, Terowie, and Crystal Brook
1914 – Mt Gambier begins its competition with most games indoors.
1914 – city of Adelaide competition commences
1920 – Junior Competition begins, YMCA has a big influence with now an admission charge being made.
1920 – OBI formed by YMCA to promote health and exercise for you people.
1920’s – sees the Morman church players having a big influence in the standard of play and conducting coaching clinics. The first of 3 America players came over to play and promote Basketball.
1930 -Noel Woollacott started visiting country areas promoting Basketball.
1930’s – Noel Woollacott called games on Radio 5KA with regular newspaper reports which were unusual for sports at the time.
1936 – SA Metro Basketball Association founded Games played at the Duncan Building in Franklin Street with 16 teams, teams were represented by various Business Houses with large number of spectators attending.
1936 – OBI building is opened
1936 – Noel Woollacott starts a Women’s Competition
1940 – 1945 minimal games due to 2 World War.
1945 – WW2 ends and games resume with games at OBI and suburban Drill Halls
1946 – Frank Angove is one of the main parties to restart the Basketball Competitions
1946 – First Australian Men’s Championship held in Sydney.
1947 – West Adelaide Basketball Club Created
1947 – North Adelaide Women’s Team Created
1948 – North Adelaide Basketball Club created
1948 – 3rd Australian Men’s Championship at OBI Adelaide
1950 – Norwood Basketball Club Created
1950 – SA Church and SA Church of Christ begin their own Competition
1951 – The District and Amateur Basketball Association formed with 57 teams
1951 – Don Collins becomes first player to win multiple Woollacott Medals
1953 – Forestville Stadium one court (Asphalt) was built being the 1st Indoor Stadium specific for Basketball in Australia
1953 – Australian Men’s Championship held at Forestville Stadium and South Australia wins the Championship for the first time.
1954 – 57 Teams in all grades with assets of the Association reaching £4708 – 7s – 6d
1955 – first Australian Women’s Championships which was conducted and continued till 1974
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1956 – Melbourne Olympics with South Australian Inga Freidenfields as Captain of the Australian Olympic Basketball Team.
1956 – second court built at Forestville
1957 – South Australia wins the first of a record breaking 4 Australian Championships in a row (1957 – 1960)
1957 – Australia competes at the FIBA Women’s World Championship in Brazil with a strong representation from South Australians with Vern Thomas as Coach, Bronte Collins, Gaynor Flanagan, Pat Hoban, Eric Homburg, Lorraine McGuire (Captain) with Joy Sheridan as Manageress. This was 13 years before the Australian Men compete in their first FIBA World Championship in 1970.
1958 – third court built at Forestville
1958 – Maria Kelertas becomes first woman to win consecutive Halls medals
1959 – South Australia had 2 teams competing in the Australian Men’s Championship due to the standard of Adelaide competition.
1960 – Australia Olympic Team players moved to Adelaide and played in the Local Competition so as to prepare for the Rome Olympic Games. SA was considered the best competition in the nation at that time.
1961 – 2 courts built at Bowden Stadium
1961 – North Adelaide women compete in the first of 12 consecutive Grand Finals to 1972 and then compete in a further 13 consecutive Grand Finals from 1979 to 1991
1962 – South Australian women win a record breaking 8th Australian Women’s Championship in a row (1955 – 1962)
1963 – third court built at Bowden Stadium
1964 – South Australian John Heard appointed Captain of the Australian Olympic Team for Rome Olympics.
1964 – Les Hody becomes the First Australian player to represent two countries in the Olympic Games (Hungary 1956 and Tokyo 1964) as a naturalised player.
1964 – 350 teams compete in all grades with assets of £43886 – 2s – 6d
1965 – First court built at Marion
1965 – Deposit paid on land at Kingston Ave Richmond where the Apollo Stadium will be built
1966 – second court built at Marion on 28/5/1966
1968 – Adelaide plays host to the Korean Women’s Team
1969 – Apollo Stadium was built with 3000 seating for Basketball and Concerts being the premier venue for touring acts. Apollo was the name of the spacecraft that flew and Landed on the moon in 1969.
1970 – Australian Men’s Club Championships commences until 1980
1971 – Australian Women’s Club Championships commence till 1981.
1971 – 2 courts built at Hillcrest Stadium
1975 – 2 courts built at Colonel Light Gardens Stadium
1975 – Ken Richardson becomes the first American to win the Woolacott
1976 – 2 courts built at Morphett Vale Stadium
1978 – West Adelaide wins the first of five record breaking consecutive premierships in a row (1978 – 1982) after a competing in 17 Grand Finals from 1978 to 1982 winning a total of 11 during this period.
1979 – NBL starts with West Adelaide and Glenelg as South Australia’s representives.
1980 – A full time General Manager appointed to the District Basketball Association
1980 – West Torrens replace Glenelg in the NBL
1981 – WNBL starts with West Adelaide, North Adelaide and Noarlunga as South Australia’s representatives. Ted Powell, Kay McFarlene and Brendan Flynn being instrumental in the formation of the WNBL.
1982 – West Torrens (Forestville) replaced in NBL by a composite side comprising of the remaining SA district Clubs excluding West Adelaide and compete in their first season as the City of Adelaide Eagles.
1982 – West Adelaide wins NBL Title
1983 – North Adelaide Women Win Australian Women’s Club Championship.
1983 – City of Adelaide Eagles evolve with a name change of Adelaide 36ers acknowledging the founding of South Australia in 1836.
1984 – WBC formed as a second tier national competition with teams from Sturt, Forestville, South Adelaide competing with a 2nd team from West Adelaide joining them shortly
1985 – West Adelaide agrees to merge with Adelaide 36ers retaining the Adelaide 36ers name.
1986 – Adelaide 36ers win the NBL Title
1986 – South Adelaide Women win the WBC Title
1986 – 4 Basketball courts with additional indoor and outdoor tennis courts purchased at Athol Park
1986 – 3rd court at Morphett Vale built.
1987 – Adelaide Buffalos a combined team win the SEABL a Championship which is the equivalent of winning against all Australian State NBL 1 Teams
1988 – Seoul Olympic Games South Australia’s Phil Smyth and Jenny Cheesman appointed Captains of their respective teams. Geoff Weeks becomes the first South Australian Referee to be appointed to an Olympic Games.
1991 – North Adelaide women win a record breaking fourth premiership in a row(1988 – 1991)
1990 – North Adelaide wins the WNBL Championship
1990 – Bowden Stadium Closes.
1991 – 2 courts leased at Elizabeth
1991 – 4th court built at Morphett Vale Stadium
1991 – Powerhouse Stadium was built to International Standards and opened on 19/12/1991 costing $16million with a 8000 seating capacity
1992 – Barcelona Olympic Games – Phil Smyth competes at his 4 Olympics and is the most captained player in Australian Olympic history.
1992 – Mark Davis wins a record breaking 5th Woollacott Medal
1993 – Basketball Association of South Australia inducts Frank Angove, Keith Miller and Merv Harris in its inaugural Hall of Fame.
1994 – FIBA Women’s World Championships Qualifying round played in the Powerhouse
1994 – Adelaide Lightning win the WNBL Title in front of 7000 spectators, a record attendance for a women’s game played in Australia
1994 – 3 court Complex at Port Adelaide leased.
1995 – Adelaide Lightning win WNBL
1996 – Adelaide Lightning win WNBL title
1998 – Adelaide Lightning win WNBL Title
1998 – Connell Light Gardens Stadium burns down.
1998 – Adelaide 36ers win NBL Title
1999 – Adelaide 36ers win NBL Title
2000 – Sydney Olympic Games with practice games played in Adelaide by various countries
2002 – Adelaide 36ers win NBL Title
2005 – Vicki Kelson wins a record fourth Halls Medal
2005 – Basketball Association of South Australia dissolved due to financial reasons leading to private ownership of Adelaide 36ers and Adelaide Lightning
2005 – Adelaide Lightning acquired by private ownership
2005 – Adelaide 36ers acquired by private Ownership
2006 – Adelaide Lightning was on sold to another private ownership group
2006 – Basketball Of South Australia (BSA) commences running of Basketball in South Australia
2008 – Adelaide Lightning win WNBL
2015 – Basketbal lSA rebrands the State League to Premier League
2016 – Rio de Janerio Olympic Games
2019 – Adelaide 36ers move from Powerhouse stadium to Adelaide Entertainment Centre hosting over 10000 spectators
2019 – Mt Gambier join Premium League
2020 – BasketballSA holds a Hall of Fame dinner with Werner Linde inducted as the First Legend
2020 – BasketballSA move their administration offices from the Powerhouse to the House of Basketball in Hilton
2020 – Basketball cancelled in South Australia for several months due to the Covid19
2021 – Basketball slowly returns on a restricted basis under strict Covid requirements
2021 – Approval for the constructions of the State Basketball Centre with the addition of 4 courts and offices at the Wayville Basketball Centre with the assistance of the State Government and the Adelaide Show Society
314 South Road, Richmond SA 5033
(Cnr Frederick St)
Enter via South Road
Phone: (08) 7088 0070
Postal Address: 314 South Road, Richmond SA 5033
