Save Our South Dragons

Hi guys thought I would share a email I sent to the NBl and there reply

To whom it may concern

Hi Guys I am a huge NBL fan and I have been attending games since 1992. I follow many sports but basketball is my favourite sport.

The NBL has given me a roller coaster ride. Originally I was a North Melbourne Giants fans but I didn't follow the Titans when the Giants and magic merged as I saw it as a take over rather then a merger. I then followed the Victoria Giants for 2 yeas and then was left without a team until the Dragons came in again. Now this season I am once again left without a team to follow as I will never barrack for the Tigers.

I hear there is some talk of a second team coming in next season in Melbourne but I think it is essential that this team is known as teh South Dragons. The reason i say this is there is some talk of a Melbourne Victory basketball team and as I fid the Melbourne Victory to be a arrogant organisation I wouldn't be able o follow them. I, like many oter Victorian basketball fans have had to follow several different teams and I'm nbot interested in another name change and if there was I don't think I would bother following them.

I love basketball but I'm tired of the emotional ride basketball gives me taking and giving me teams every couple of years. I think you should also take note of what the fans are saying on the saveour dragons website

As much as I love basketball Melbourne will have a baseball team coming into the new baseball league ext season. If its not the South Dragons I and many others would most likey make the new Melbourne baseball team the team I follow during the summer months and then stick to following the Storm and our AFL team uring winter.

Some sporting bodies don't listen to their fans but I trust the NBL will listen to their fans and ensure any team in Melbourne is known as the South Dragons.

I look forward to your reply

Kind regards

Mikey Dynon

there reply was as follows

Hi Mikey,

Thanks for taking the time to email us.

I appreciate your point of view but the single most important factor of any new teams entering the league is that they are financially stable and are committed to the competition in the long term.

That being said, the South Dragons name and logo is the intellectual property of the team’s former owners, so they would need to be involved with any new Melbourne team. Whether that happens, and whether a new team does enter the competition from Melbourne remains to be seen.

Regards,

Then I raised 1 final point with them

Hi mark and thanks for your reply

I would just like to point out one further thing. I hope yourself, Larry and the board don't assume that the former Giants, Titans, Magic and Dragons fans are just going to jump on any team that comes along. We have been loyal to the sport of basketball and loyality is a two way steet and I think NBL now owes us fans that have been through so much and done all we can to support basketball.

When any decision is made about the new team I would ask the league to remember that each time the second Melbourne team has changed identity fans have dropped off and gone to follow other sports because they don't want to be on a roller coaster ride. I trust the league will take this into consideration and won't want long time followes of the sport like myself and many others to be the next to turn away from the game we love so much and have supported with just as much if not more passion then any other sports fan in Australia.

thanks again for taking the time out and being so prompt with your response

and they sent me this brief reply

No problems Mike, and yes, we will bear that in mind. I am a Melbourne boy myself, so I feel the pain of all the fans who were disenfranchised with the loss of their teams.

If you haven't already done so I would really encourage you to send the NBL a email. The more they get the better

Well it seems to fall on deaf ears,Cowan and the old organisation have to be involved do they,i wonder if this will happen.

Mikey, we appreciate your effort of emailing to the NBL, and anyone else feel free to do the same. I agree with what you are saying, and if we do want to have a viable second team, we need to ensure the public stability. Which retaining the South Dragons brand would ensure.

Keep the Fire Burning!