The 2021 NBL1 season will tip off with a blockbuster opening fortnight starting on Saturday April 10 with over 50 games to be played across NBL1 Central, West and South.
NBL1 Central will begin on Saturday April 10 with every team playing in a five-game slate while NBL1 West tips off on Friday April 16 and NBL1 South starts on Saturday April 17. The NBL1 North season starts on Friday May 14 with a Northern Rivalry clash between Townsville and Mackay.
NBL1 will stage feature rounds across the season including Pink Round across Mother’s Day Weekend on 7-9 May, Indigenous Round during NAIDOC Week on 9-11 July and Mental Health Round on 18-20 June. More information about these rounds will be announced soon.
Each conference will complete its regular season and conference finals by September 5, with the men’s and women’s champions to then compete in the inaugural NBL1 Finals Series in Melbourne from September 10-12.
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In a win for fans, all NBL1 games will be live streamed this season allowing fans across the country to watch the next generation of basketball stars hit the court. More than 1,150 matches will be played under the NBL1 banner in 2021.
NBL1 Chief Commercial Officer Brad Joyner said: “We are delighted to announce NBL1 will return to basketball courts across Australia this April after its cancellation in 2020 because of COVID.
“NBL1 has grown immensely since it started in 2019 and continues to go from strength to strength with the introduction of three new conferences in NBL1 North, NBL1 Central and NBL1 West joining NBL1 South.
“We look forward to what will be an exciting 2021 season culminating with the NBL1 Finals Series in September and watching the continued growth of all of our clubs and players over the coming months.”
The four conferences consist of 57 clubs and 110 teams across both men’s and women’s competitions.
Highlights of the NBL1 South Fixture
- NBL1 South will tip off with a Super Saturday on April 17, as all teams will play on the one night in a single header weekend.
- NBL1 South clubs will play 22 games over 17 rounds, with all clubs hosting 11 home games.
- The Hobart Chargers and Mount Gambier Pioneers will hit the court in NBL1 South for the first time in 2021.
Highlights of the NBL1 North Fixture
- NBL1 North will begin with a Rivalry Round weekend on May 14 and 15.
- NBL1 North will consist of 14 rounds with each team playing 17 games.
- The quarter finals and semi-finals will be one off games and the conference championship will be a best of three game series.
Highlights of the NBL1 West Fixture
- Men’s NBL1 West teams will play 22 games while the women will play 18 games across 18 weeks.
- The top eight teams will make the NBL1 West conference finals, with a three-week conference finals format consisting of single elimination games.
- The women’s conference final will be played on September 3 and the men’s conference final will be played on September 4. Both games will be played at the Bendat Basketball Centre.
Highlights of the NBL1 Central Fixture
- NBL1 Central will be the first NBL1 basketball played in 2021 when the season begins on Saturday April 10.
- NBL1 Central will play 18 rounds before a four-week conference finals series beginning on Saturday August 14.
- The NBL1 Central conference final will be played on Saturday September 4.
