Save Our South Dragons

MELBOURNE Victory is poised to expand into other sporting codes, with basketball first on the hit list.

The champion A-League club has held talks with Basketball Australia and the Victorian Government about joining the troubled elite men's basketball league this season.

Basketball Australia has offered support to the move.

Victory chairman Geoff Lord confirmed the talks this week, saying plans were well advanced.

Lord is still hopeful of entrance to the league.

"We were going to run a team," he said.

"It was a major thing. I was in meetings all of last weekend. We had about six meetings."

Lord said he was compelled to make the decision because he felt Melbourne needed to be represented in any national competition.

"It would be totally wrong for Melbourne not to have a team" Lord said.

"It's a good thing for Melbourne sport."

He said there was still a chance of a Victory basketball team despite the announcement on Thursday that the Melbourne Tigers would join the new eight-team competition.

Basketball Australia announced the Tigers would join a 2009-10 season, to start in October, before the launch of a new elite competition in 2010.

"The Tigers might have got spooked by us," Lord said.

"We still might be open.

"We've had high level talks with the State Government, Basketball Australia and the people at Hisense Arena.

"We are well down the track of discussions."

Basketball Australia CEO Larry Sengstock confirmed the talks, saying there was a possibility three basketball teams could operate in Melbourne.

"We are certainly open to it," Sengstock said.

"We need to explore any opportunities which may be of benefit for the league.

"If the economics stack up we could look at up to three teams in Melbourne from 2010 onwards. These are all things we are investigating.

"I would think the ideal number of teams for Melbourne would be at least two."

The Victory planned to buy players from the South Dragons, who decided not to take part in the new league.

Lord said the Victory would not rule out branching into other sports if their members wanted it.

"We're about creating and providing entertainment for our members and if that's in another code, that's fine," Lord said.

"I would take it to the fans and if that's what they wanted wed do it."

A successful businessman, Lord was president of the Hawthorn Football Club in 1994 and '95, and is a life member of the Hawks.

He is founder of the Belgravia Group, which owns 50 per cent of the Victory.

Should new teams be created, Lord said separate boards would run each team with a board overseeing the entire franchise.

Man i hope this happens,id buy a membership straight away,please let this happen..

Im sorry to say i couldnt get into this team, ive seen too many teams come and go so just couldnt get into another. mite go to the odd game here and there but until (if at all) thhe dragons come back nbl is dead for me

yeah i will never dedicate like i did with Dragons again.

south01 at 02:06AM on May 31, 2009

Man i hope this happens,id buy a membership straight away,please let this happen..

There is pretty much zero chance i would support this team. There is two ways i would:

1) If cowan owned a part of it

2) The has the Dragons name.

Now some may say im a sook but i would just like to let you know what people form the Melbourne Victory forum said who would 100% go to all of there games.

HERE IS QUOTES FROM THE FORUM.

OMG! I just got goosebumps thinking about it.

Throwing coins at opposition players OLE!

The current fairy floss fans of the NBL are the reason it's dead and buried, they have to wait for instructions from that faggot on the mic until they do ANYTHING.

basketball-massive flares

yee same just fkn stabbing k3nts n shit...etc

I just would not follow this team. They are not looking at this as a basketball club, rather just trying to put soccer fans into bball stadiums, it just wouldnt work. It would take a back seat to the soccer club and if it hit financial trouble they would fold it straight away as they do ont want the club to be a strain on the soccer club, so we could all be in the same position as we are now AGAIN.

No thankyou think ill wait for the Dragons..

Yes on second thoughts.. id say no as well.

south01 at 06:41PM on Jun 01, 2009

Yes on second thoughts.. id say no as well.

Basketball fans wouldnt follow the team, just soccer fans, and i have a feeling families will stay clear of this team.

I agree 100%, you wont get the families going to this team and i doubt dragons fans will go either. There will just be too many soccer hooligans there for me and they wont be that interested in it anyway, they will go for a few games then drop off, especially if theyre losing which i think will happen