I'm Now A Southern Huskies Foundation Member - #WeTheSouth

It's not the NBA, but Australia's National Basketball League (NBL) is currently expanding. In the 2019/20 season, the league will go from the current eight teams, to add a ninth team.

The licence for the new franchise, widely tipped to be another Melbourne based team, has been awarded to Romie Chaudhari, co-owner of English Chmpionship League club Swansea City, and with it comes the excitement of a possible tenth team entering the league as well.

That excitement level is quite high here in Tasmania, where a local consortium is currently putting together a very strong bid to obtain a licence. The club has rcently launched branding and mascot details, and has pledge to have a minimum of 5000 members signed up at the time the bid is tabled.

The Southern Huskies have been announced, and I am one of those members.

As a foundation member (which cost me a massive ten bucks) my name will be recorded historically when the club officially joins the NBL. Forever etched into the fabric of what we hope will become one of Tasmania's great success stories. It also gets me a discount on some pretty sweet merchandise once the online store opens, as well as a discount off my season pass when we join the league.

The fast moving success of the launch is a warning sign for the AFL, another sporting body in which Tasmania has longed for a meaningful representation, who has largely ignored the Tasmanian market. If the Huskies get it right at a grassroots level, the AFL may find they have missed their chance.

The bid has also been buoyed by the recent success of Hobart's SEABL (second tier league) team the Hobart Chargers who this week will play for a place in the Grand Final. Should they beat the Geelong Supercats, they will face the winner of Nunawading v Kilsyth for the Championship. Such an historic win would be a jewel in the crown of the Huskies bid.

So wish us luck, or even better, get on board and sign on to become a Husky.

https://membership.southernhuskies.com.au/product/foundation-membership/