Crowds flock to WNBL

The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) has announced an increase in attendances for the 2011/12 season.

More than 81,000 fans attended WNBL games throughout the season, culminating in the 3,500 sell-out crowd at the WNBL Grand Final between Dandenong and Bulleen.

The WNBL recorded significant improvement in the 18-round regular season, experiencing an 11.6% rise in attendances to more than 4,000 spectators per round.

A rejuvenated Townsville Fire was the success story of the campaign, with the move to the new Townsville RSL Stadium seeing a significant rise in crowds to more than 1,400 a game.

Basketball Australia Chief Executive Larry Sengstock praised the efforts of Townsville, and all the clubs, in helping to ensure the premier women's sporting competition in Australia continues to grow.

Sengstock explained "the 2011/12 season has been another significant building block for the WNBL, with the efforts of the Townsville Fire highlighting the growing popularity of the competition around the country.

"We have seen an increase in attendances across the league and much of this success is down to the hard work put in by the 10 clubs in promoting the competition throughout Australia.

"While we are encouraged by the rise in attendances, Basketball Australia will continue to work with the clubs to develop and promote the WNBL brand to a wider audience."

In addition to Townsville's improvement, Adelaide Lightning, Bendigo Spirit, AIS, Logan Thunder and the Bulleen Boomers all enjoyed increased attendances.

The Canberra Capitals continued to be a powerhouse of the sport, averaging more than 1,000 spectators a home game, while 2012 WNBL Premier Dandenong Rangers, Sydney Uni Flames and West Coast Waves all remained solid.

Key Attendance Information:

• 81,571 spectators attended WNBL matches, including finals, in 2011/12 a 10.7% increase on last season (76,058 in 2010/11);
• 4,062 fans attending per round of the regular season, an increase of 11.6% (3,512 per round in 2010/11);
• 3,500 - fans crammed into the State Hockey Netball Centre for the sell-out WNBL Grand Final between Dandenong and Bulleen;
• 1,426 - the highest ever regular season home attendance for the Bendigo Spirit, theirRound 10 clash with Bulleen;
• 1,000+ - for the seventh consecutive season Canberra Capitals averaged more than 1,000 fans for their home games.

For more information go to www.wnbl.com.au