Save Our South Dragons

NEWS ALERT: WE'RE FIRED UP ABOUT POSSIBLE RETURN.

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:14:00 +0000

The Save Our South Dragons group remains optimistic about the return of a second Melbourne franchise to the National Basketball League despite being overlooked for next season’s competition.

The league today announced the composition of the 2010/11 format, highlighted by the much-anticipated resurrection of a Sydney club.

While it was hoped that Melbourne would soon return to being a two-team town, group founder Hayden Ostrom Brown assured Victorian basketball fans that they had not been forgotten in the league’s expansion plans.

“We had the opportunity to meet with the league and were buoyed by their faith in the Dragons’ brand and the merits of a second side in Melbourne,” Ostrom Brown said.

“It was made clear that Sydney and Brisbane were their main priorities for the coming season, which was perfectly understandable from a broadcast rights perspective.”

“Now that Sydney is back, we urge the NBL to work towards the addition of the South Dragons and Brisbane for season 2011/12, taking us to a national competition that we can be proud of,” he said.

Ostrom Brown cited Sydney’s rebirth as a source of motivation for Dragons supporters who may have given up hope after club owners Mark Cowan and Raphael Geminder withdrew from the revamped league.

“When the Kings left the scene in a mire of controversy and the Spirit went by the wayside, the final nail appeared to be well and truly hammered into Sydney basketball’s coffin,” he said.

“Today’s news shows that we can dare to dream.”

The Save Our Dragons group has been encouraging fans to pledge their financial support to demonstrate the demand for the club’s return and possibly replicate the community-ownership model implemented by Wollongong and Cairns.

“Now more than ever is the time for Dragons supporters to keep the fireburning by visiting our website and indicating their level of support through hypothetical pledges and membership purchases,” Ostrom Brownsaid.

“Good things come to those who wait, and maybe with a bit of luck we’ll eventually see our championship banner hanging from the rafters.

Campaign Latest.

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:23:00 +0000

Everything has been very quiet from our end lately, so I thought I would explain why and tell you where our campaign sits at the moment.

If you are not already aware we have spoken to Larry sengstock in person about our campaign and the merits of the Dragons brand in a conversation that we believe was largely positive.

At the moment the campaign is stagnant and that is because we are awaiting the results of the Expression of Interest phase. If there is no second team from Melbourne in the league next season (as expected) then we will continue with our campaign, but there is not much we can do until closer to the next season likely around November this year.

We would still like you all to invite your friends to our facebook group, and to spread the word. we have already achieved a lot and I can promise you that what we have already achieved ( which is only a small amount of what we are capable of) has been well and truely been positively taken by the NBL.

Thanks for all of your support and we look forward to working together to see our South Dragons back where they belong. At the top of the NBL ladder.

Hayden.

Promotional Event.

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 03:59:00 +0000

The Save Our Dragons Co-Ordinators have organised a Save Our Dragons event, to help raise the profile of the campaign. It is open to everyone, and we endeavour to get plenty of Dragons fans to dress up in their Dragons gear and to attend the Melbourne Tigers home game on the 20th Of January 2010.

Cost of tickets will not be paid for by the campaign, you must do that yourselves, however we will pay for it together, so we can get group ticketing, meaning cheaper tickets and us all sitting next to each other.

Dress up in your Dragons gear, and we will discuss making some banners to grab the Foxtel camera's attention. Help us to Keep the Fire Burning, by coming along and pledging your support.

Follow the website for more info. Also put your name down on the forum topic so i can get in contact with you, or if you have facebook click join on the facebook event.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=229622830904&index=1

Hayden.

OUR STORY-MICHAEL SCIBILIA

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:11:00 +0000

``It isn't all doom and gloom -- year one is a time for consolidation before we see the return of Sydney and Brisbane along with a second club back in Melbourne. It has been shown in the past Melbourne can sustain a second team.'' – Larry Sengstock, The Australian, 29 August 2009.

"We have to have Brisbane and Sydney, and we believe there is also an opportunity in Melbourne for a second team as well." - Larry Sengstock, Sydney Morning Herald, 14 October 2009

These quotes from Basketball Australia chief executive Larry Sengstock confirm the NBL’s interest in establishing a new Melbourne team for season 2010/11, along with a presence in Sydney and Brisbane. Sengstock’s comments are certainly welcome, for the Melbourne Tigers are incapable of representing the entire Victorian basketball community due to the intense passion of previous cross-town derbies.

This town flourishes when there are two strong sides, with crowds in excess of 9000 people packing into Hisense Arena to see the South Dragons host the Tigers. However, despite the positive vibes from NBL HQ, there remains great uncertainty over the identity of the proposed club, which Sengstock simply refers to as a “second Melbourne team.” We often hear this term.

By referring to supporters of the Giants, Magic, Titans and Dragons as the one identity, there’s an assumption that we are always going to accept whatever brand the NBL throws at us. We must no longer be taken for granted. Our passions are not transient. We are Dragons.

For the Dragons were our panacea following many years of pain, in which we bought season memberships, experienced the highs and lows of sport and remained loyal to the league when others deserted it, only to have our teams ripped from our hearts.

We could have bought into the Tigers’ monopoly between 2004 and 2006, which saw the league’s profile sink into an abyss and newspapers relegate their basketball coverage to the page adjacent to the obituaries.

We could have turned our backs on the NBL forever, choosing to spend our summers soaking up the sunrays at the beach, joining in a Mexican wave at the ‘G or chanting “Ole Ole” at the soccer.

But when two businessmen named Mark Cowan and Raphael Geminder came along and launched a new club on December 15 2005, how could we resist? We, the basketball junkie, had been invited to a family reunion. A reunion which was going to offer more than a fleeting relationship.

Good things come to those who wait, and suddenly we had a product to be proud of, as we would walk up Swan Street on a balmy summer’s evening, glance at the Nylex Clock and ascend the steps of Hisense Arena to embark on a night’s entertainment incomparable to anything else in the sporting landscape.

The results didn’t always go our way – the wooden-spoon season of 2007/08 tested our patience – but the welcoming arms of the South Dragons Basketball Club were impossible to escape.

This was an inclusive environment, in which the players were accessible, the staff were amiable and the supporters were finally united. We didn’t necessarily know each other’s name, nor did we necessarily speak to one another. But there was always time for a smile and a nod, for our journey was too common to be ignored. It become an exhilarating journey, too, with the recruitment of Brian Goorjian and star players such as Mark Worthington and Adam Gibson delivering results which seemed unimaginable just twelve months earlier.

These were times to savour, as we’d congregate in the members’ function room and be greeted by the familiar phrase of, “How about those Dragons?!” Those Dragons would soon be champions, and our rocky journey had reached its summit.

Or so we thought.

Now we found ourselves without a team once more, and the generic phrase “second Melbourne team” has returned to the NBL lexicon. There’s every chance the team will be a completely new brand, and, considering our loyal history, there’s ever chance we will be in the stands together showing our support. However, we would be doing so with a heavy heart, as we all know that nothing can replicate the days of the Dragons.

It is for this reason that we ask you to join us in saving our Dragons. This is a team which now has history and an existing supporter base. Only egoistic games of one-upmanship could motivate a prospective owner to overlook the Dragons’ legacy and design their own brand, and this is not the time for self-interest. Our sport has enough rivals without shooting itself in the foot. So let’s put any differences aside, work in harmony and, with a bit of luck, we will meet underneath our championship banner next season and have the Black Army roaring like never before.

Now that is a reunion to look forward to.

NEW ARTICLE: WE ARE FEATURED IN THE BIG V MAGAZINE.

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:16:00 +0000

GROUP FORMS TO SAVE THE DRAGONS!

Since the South Dragons withdrew from the 2009/10 NBL season, there?s been a lot said about the need for a second club in Melbourne. Few could forget what the vibe was like when we had three Melbourne teams (which was still fewer than the most we?ve had) plus a team in Geelong battling it out in the NBL. The rivalry was fierce and it fed the sport. Basketball was abuzz with fans and media interest. I think it?s safe to say that that feeling was aroused yet again when the Melbourne Tigers and the South Dragons faced off in last season?s NBL Grand Final. Although it was early days, fans were starting to think ?maybe?, yet again. The series went to five, there was plenty of spite, aggression and quality ball. Of course, it was all short lived and since the decision of the Dragons to sit out this season, it didn?t take long for talk to commence about another team getting off the ground, maybe as early as next year, and the rumour mill is spinning ferociously. One commonly heard one is the formation of an association based club spawned out of the banding of a number of Melbourne clubs. I can?t help but ask the question: have we simply forgotten about the Dragons? Was it not a hiatus, or has the buzzer sounded? A group, led by Berwick 18 year old Hayden Ostrom Brown are doing more than asking questions. They are working towards bringing the club back. Looking to bring the club back under a community-based model, not too dissimilar to Wollongong and Cairns, Ostrom Brown hopes to gather enough support to make this a possibility. ?During the off-season we saw both Wollongong and Cairns? NBL teams saved by their local communities, so I don?t see why we can?t keep the fire burning for the Dragons,? Ostrom Brown told the Leader Newspaper. ?We?re a bigger town and I think fans would jump at the opportunity to help,? he said. He has since been interviewed on SEN radio, featured in local papers and is working hard to raise awareness and support for the return of the club. There?s a facebook group gathering members and a website www.saveourdragons.com where people can sign up and pledge money and there?s already many people getting on board. LINK: http://www.bigv.com.au/uploads/media/Overtime_01.pdf

NEW TARGET! $15,000 by 15/11/2009

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:33:00 +0000

The Save Our South Dragons campaign, has now set a new ambitious target. Our Campaign wants to reach $15,000 in hypothetical donations by the 15th of November. That is an extra $2,180 than what we have now. For those who have already submitted forms pledging their support, but would like to increase the amount they have donated, or now add an donation, fill out the form again, and I will delete the previous one. Just check on the supporters thread on the forum, to ensure you have been added!

Once again thanks for your support, and lets all together Keep The Fire Burning!

GET INVOLVED! OUR OPEN DOOR POLICY.

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:39:00 +0000

At the Save Our Dragons campaign we recognise that Saving Our South Dragons will require a team effort from the whole community, and that many South Dragons supporters have numerous talents that can be utilised which is why have already recruited some volunteers with various expertise. Yet, there are never too many.

So we have an open door policy, meaning if anyone wants to jump on board to spread the word,and have qualities or expertises that you feel could come in handy, then please jump onto the contact page and send us an email. We would love to hear from you. Whether you own a printing company, who could help us print some pamphlets and posters or whether you could volunteer some time to handout some flyers let us know.

Regards, Hayden Ostrom Brown.

Campaign Founder.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ON CAMPAIGN

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:09:00 +0000

A BERWICK18-year-old has launched a bold bid to resurrect the South DragonsBasketball Club from the sporting abyss. The Dragons dropped out of theNational Basketball League earlier this year – after winning lastseason’s championship against the Melbourne Tigers. The move leftplayers and staff without a job and fans without a team to support. Butdiehard fan Hayden Ostrom Brown is taking it on himself to save theDragons and has started an aptly-named Save the Dragons campaign.

MrOstrom Brown was looking to reinstate the Dragons under a communitymodel for the 2010/11 season. Under his plan, the Dragons would getcommunity and corporate support and be under the direction of anelected board, rather than in private ownership. Mr Ostrom Brown saidthe campaign was in its early stages and he was trying to gather asmuch support as possible.

‘‘It’scertainly not great timing with all the school work I’ve got in frontof me, but I can’t just sit back and let the Dragons die,’’ he said.‘‘During the off-season we saw both Wollongong and Cairns’ NBL teamssaved by their local communities, so I don’t see why we can’t keep thefire burning for the Dragons. ‘‘We’re a bigger town and I think fanswould jump at the opportunity to help.’’ He said BasketballAustralia was looking to start a new Victorian team, but it was askinga lot for fans to realign themselves with a new brand. Mr Ostrom Brownwants fans to pledge support and help find sponsors. Details: Save OurDragons campaign, www.saveourdragons.com

LISTEN TO SAVE OUR DRAGONS FOUNDER ON SEN SUNDAY 20TH.

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:04:00 +0000

The Save Our Dragons campaign will be hitting the radio airwaves tomorrow night when group founder Hayden Ostrom Brown joins In the Paint host, Brett Phillips, on 1116 SEN.

Hayden will be live on the show between 8.30pm and 9pm, spreading the word about returning the South Dragons to the National Basketball League.

In the Paint is a new 2-hour program devoted entirely to hoops, and can be heard every Sunday night from 7pm on 1116am in Melbourne, or via www.sportsentral.com or www.sen.com.au .

Last week’s inaugural program included special guests Larry Sengstock, Mark Worthington, Michele Timms, Tom Maher and Wayne Bird.

Tune in again this week to hear about Keeping the Fire Burning! For more on the Save Our Dragons campaign, hit www.saveourdragons.com.

MARK WORTHINGTON JOINS AS AMBASSADOR!

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:42:00 +0000

The Save Our Dragons movement would like to announce thatMarkWorthington has agreed to become an abassador for the Save OurSouthDragons movement. We would greatly like to thank Mark Worthingtonforhis amazing support, and pass on our best wishes for him forthe2009-2010 NBL season. Mark Worthington also joins Donta Smith andPete(the voice of the Dragons) who are both members of the facebookgroup!