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  #21  
Old Posted May 21, 2011, 1:48 PM
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http://thechronicleherald.ca/Sports/1244469.html

NBL founders await deposit cheques

By BRIAN FREEMAN Sports Reporter
Sat, May 21 - 4:54 AM
The founders of the fledgling National Basketball League of Canada are waiting for the first deposit cheques to begin rolling in from five markets contemplating entry in the upstart circuit.

Organizers of prospective franchises in Moncton and four Ontario centres — Oshawa, London, Kingston and Barrie — were to have their deposits for an undisclosed amount postmarked and in the mail Friday in order to continue the process of applying for membership in the league.

"Everybody was aware of the deadline and we didn’t get a call from anyone saying that they were not going to be sending (the cheque) off," said Halifax Rainmen owner Andre Levingston, who doesn’t expect any of the refundable deposits to arrive before the middle of next week due to the Victoria Day holiday.

The Rainmen, Saint John Mill Rats and Quebec Kebs joined forces to hatch the NBL Canada after abandoning the Premier Basketball League last month. They led a mass exodus of teams at the conclusion of the PBL’s championship series that was dogged by accusations of biased officiating.

Levingston is the new league’s interim president and chief operating officer while Ian McCarthy, the Mill Rats president and general manager, is its interim chief operating officer.

Prospective teams are still working on venue leasing arrangements that would have to be secured before they’d be granted acceptance into the league. Full franchise fees are due June 15, the deadline to apply to be a part of the NBL’s inaugural campaign, which will run from late October to March.

The lineup of teams for the season will be announced on June 30, said Levingston, who added that negotiations are ongoing with other markets as well.

Teams would likely have a salary cap comparable to or perhaps higher than the $150,000 maximum that was in place in the PBL last season, he said, noting the cap would be among the items on the agenda for an owners meeting scheduled for July 1.

They’d also discuss roster size, a Canadian content rule requiring a certain number of homegrown players, and the length of the schedule, which almost certainly will exceed the 20 regular-season contests Halifax played in the PBL.

"We like the number 30," the Rainmen owner said. "We’ll have a discussion. It could be a few more games but we don’t really see it in anything less than 30 games."

Levingston and McCarthy will likely remain the chief caretakers of the new league until the first slate of teams is announced but will eventually give way to a full-time commissioner and a director of league operations.

"There’s a lot of legwork that needed to be fulfilled out of the gate which he and I have been doing," Levingston said.

"Once we feel comfortable with passing the torch to someone that we all feel is comfortable with leading us in the right direction, we will step out of our roles. I don’t see it happening before June 30 because there’s just too much to be done."

( bfreeman@herald.ca)
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  #22  
Old Posted May 21, 2011, 3:03 PM
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"Organizers of prospective franchises in Moncton and four Ontario centres — Oshawa, London, Kingston and Barrie — were to have their deposits for an undisclosed amount postmarked and in the mail Friday in order to continue the process of applying for membership in the league."

- Interesting. There has been no mention in our local paper about an ownership group for the proposed Moncton franchise. I have no doubt that there are interested individuals though. I wonder who they are and how committed they are.
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  #23  
Old Posted May 22, 2011, 12:10 AM
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Originally Posted by MonctonRad View Post
"Organizers of prospective franchises in Moncton and four Ontario centres — Oshawa, London, Kingston and Barrie — were to have their deposits for an undisclosed amount postmarked and in the mail Friday in order to continue the process of applying for membership in the league."

- Interesting. There has been no mention in our local paper about an ownership group for the proposed Moncton franchise. I have no doubt that there are interested individuals though. I wonder who they are and how committed they are.
Romour is that unfortunately there is little to no chance of a team in Moncton for the first season as no ownership groups have come forward.

Fredericton has two groups interested but it doesn't appear they are ready to commit for the inaugural season.
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  #24  
Old Posted May 23, 2011, 3:29 PM
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If I were an investor...especially in a smaller market ie Fredericton/Moncton....I would wait to commit until seaon 2 just to see how the league actually unfolds
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  #25  
Old Posted May 24, 2011, 1:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Freddypop View Post
If I were an investor...especially in a smaller market ie Fredericton/Moncton....I would wait to commit until seaon 2 just to see how the league actually unfolds

Agreed. Although they have made it well known that it will cost significantly more to join the league at a later date, I still think it is prudent to see how the league goes in the first season.

If all goes well I would not be surprised to see a team in Fredericton next year and maybe even Moncton.
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  #26  
Old Posted May 24, 2011, 2:59 PM
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I think the issue for any Moncton investors would at least partially be the popularity of the game in the city.

Hockey is king in Moncton but football is a close second. Third place would go to baseball. There is a popular minor basketball program in the city but the success of basketball as a spectator sport is an unknown quantity.

It might be wise for investors to wait, but it would be a financial gamble is franchise fees go up..............
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  #27  
Old Posted May 26, 2011, 12:15 AM
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Moncton has three weeks to get owners on board for NBL
Four Ontario teams expected to move forward



Franchise costs
The Kingston Whig-Standard reports that NBL Canada’s franchise fee is “six figures,” while operating costs are pegged at $1 million per year.
Ownership groups from Ottawa and Kitchener have also had talks with NBL Canada about the possibility of establishing a franchise.

MATTHEW WUEST
METRO HALIFAX
Published: May 25, 2011 12:12 a.m.
Last modified: May 25, 2011 12:21 a.m.

One of the National Basketball League of Canada’s top franchise candidates is at risk of missing the boat on the new circuit’s inaugural season.

Two weeks after NBL Canada launched, Moncton — one of five prospective franchises pegged to join Halifax, Saint John, N.B., and Quebec City — has no formal ownership group and thus has not submitted the letter of intent required to join the league.

Letters of intent and accompanying deposits are due by June 15.

“We can’t wait for anyone,” said Andre Levingston, Halifax Rainmen owner and interim league president.

“If we don’t have the things we need from any city, when we reach our deadline date, they will be excluded from participating (in 2011-12). We’re not going to draw things out.”

At a press conference announcing the league’s formation on May 12, officials said a Moncton-based ownership group had submitted a letter of intent. Levingston said yesterday that was incorrect and “may have been a slip.”

But he said he is laying the groundwork for potential ownership by working with the City of Moncton to determine the specifics around a lease agreement for Moncton Coliseum.

“We need everyone to be on board so that an ownership group coming into a city will be supported out of the gate,” he said.

As for the four Ontario teams that have already submitted letters of intent — London, Oshawa, Barrie and Kingston — their deposit cheques were supposed to be mailed by last Friday.

Although he has yet to receive one, Levingston said he is “sure they’re all coming in.”

“We’re just moving forward,” Levingston said. “We’re meeting our timelines, people are working hard, and we’re putting it together.”

http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/sport...-board-for-nbl

Can someone change the title of this thread to NBL?
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  #28  
Old Posted May 26, 2011, 2:33 PM
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That reports echo's what I had heard, the city desperately wanted a team but no ownership groups had come forward. city staff had spent significant time working on arena arrangement, etc.. but could not find a group of owners.

Basketball was always very popular at the High school level in Moncton and was only second to hockey, like all of Canada.

It does sound as though they will have at least 7-8 teams this season. Would be great to see Fredericton jump in as well as there has always been a fantastic rivalry between SJ/Fred.
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  #29  
Old Posted May 27, 2011, 11:35 AM
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New hoops league recruiting



Levingston: NBL still needs teams
By BRIAN FREEMAN Sports Reporter
Fri, May 27 - 4:54 AM

One Ontario market appears to be out and three others in as the upstart National Basketball League of Canada continues recruiting teams for its inaugural season.

Andre Levingston, owner of the Halifax Rainmen and interim president of the new circuit, said Thursday that he and the other founders of the NBL remain on the hunt for other franchises to add to the lineup ahead of a June 15 cut-off date.

The Rainmen, Saint John Mill Rats and Quebec Kebs broke away from the Premier Basketball League last month and announced the formation of the NBL Canada on May 12.

Cities that the NBL originally began negotiations with had until last Friday to send off a deposit cheque. Levingston, in Toronto this week for the Canadian Basketball Congress, hasn’t been in the office to open his mail but provided an update Thursday on those prospective markets.

"I know that Kingston has, I know that Oshawa has (sent their deposit)," he said. "I’m almost 100 per cent certain that London has. I’m actually meeting here with their owner very soon but they’re full-steam ahead so I’m sure that they did send theirs in.

"Barrie is for all intents and purposes probably out this season. . . . We were just unable to come to any sort of agreement with a new tenant coming into the building.

"But we’re still in negotiations, discussions, with several other cities: Kitchener, Ottawa, P.E.I. (Charlottetown) and Moncton."

Prospective teams are still working on venue leasing arrangements that would have to be secured before they’d be granted acceptance into the league. Full franchise fees are due June 15, the deadline to apply to be a part of the inaugural campaign, which will run from late October to March.

"Everyone wants to make sure that they can structure an agreement that makes business sense, and crunching numbers," Levingston said. "You wanna make sure that it works. We’re giving them time to do their due diligence as those people came on a little bit later than some of the original guys that we spoke with.

"It’s ongoing and we’re doing everything in our power to assist them with their decision-making and hopefully we can come to some agreements with these cities."

The lineup of teams for the season will be announced on June 30.

( bfreeman@herald.ca)
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  #30  
Old Posted May 27, 2011, 12:07 PM
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Basketball was always very popular at the High school level in Moncton and was only second to hockey, like all of Canada.
I would agree. there is an active minor basketball program in Moncton (MKMBA), and all six local high schools have good quality basketball teams.

I would argue however that at least at present, high school football ranks higher than basketball in terms of popularity in the city. It is in fact a close second to hockey.
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  #31  
Old Posted May 27, 2011, 12:15 PM
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I hope Winnipeg gets a team in the future. I miss the Winnipeg Thunder and Cyclones.
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  #32  
Old Posted May 27, 2011, 1:47 PM
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Originally Posted by -Harlington- View Post
New hoops league recruiting



Levingston: NBL still needs teams
By BRIAN FREEMAN Sports Reporter
Fri, May 27 - 4:54 AM

One Ontario market appears to be out and three others in as the upstart National Basketball League of Canada continues recruiting teams for its inaugural season.

Andre Levingston, owner of the Halifax Rainmen and interim president of the new circuit, said Thursday that he and the other founders of the NBL remain on the hunt for other franchises to add to the lineup ahead of a June 15 cut-off date.

The Rainmen, Saint John Mill Rats and Quebec Kebs broke away from the Premier Basketball League last month and announced the formation of the NBL Canada on May 12.

Cities that the NBL originally began negotiations with had until last Friday to send off a deposit cheque. Levingston, in Toronto this week for the Canadian Basketball Congress, hasn’t been in the office to open his mail but provided an update Thursday on those prospective markets.

"I know that Kingston has, I know that Oshawa has (sent their deposit)," he said. "I’m almost 100 per cent certain that London has. I’m actually meeting here with their owner very soon but they’re full-steam ahead so I’m sure that they did send theirs in.

"Barrie is for all intents and purposes probably out this season. . . . We were just unable to come to any sort of agreement with a new tenant coming into the building.

"But we’re still in negotiations, discussions, with several other cities: Kitchener, Ottawa, P.E.I. (Charlottetown) and Moncton."

Prospective teams are still working on venue leasing arrangements that would have to be secured before they’d be granted acceptance into the league. Full franchise fees are due June 15, the deadline to apply to be a part of the inaugural campaign, which will run from late October to March.

"Everyone wants to make sure that they can structure an agreement that makes business sense, and crunching numbers," Levingston said. "You wanna make sure that it works. We’re giving them time to do their due diligence as those people came on a little bit later than some of the original guys that we spoke with.

"It’s ongoing and we’re doing everything in our power to assist them with their decision-making and hopefully we can come to some agreements with these cities."

The lineup of teams for the season will be announced on June 30.

( bfreeman@herald.ca)

This is good news. I am sure the founders are hoping for 2 four team divisions and it sounds as if there is a chance of that. To have two 3 team divisions already confirmed has got to be encouraging.

Sounds like Moncton is no longer a basketball community, so adding Fredericton and Charlottetown to the fold in year 2 would really make a fantastic Atlantic division.
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  #33  
Old Posted May 27, 2011, 3:24 PM
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Sounds like Moncton is no longer a basketball community, so adding Fredericton and Charlottetown to the fold in year 2 would really make a fantastic Atlantic division.
I didn't actually say that Moncton wasn't a basketball community. What I meant was that football has risen in ascendancy in the city. I think basketball is as popular as always, it's just that football is becoming increasingly popular.

A team could work here, but it is understandable that potential investors might want to be cautious.
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  #34  
Old Posted May 29, 2011, 11:45 AM
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Originally Posted by MonctonRad View Post
I didn't actually say that Moncton wasn't a basketball community. What I meant was that football has risen in ascendancy in the city. I think basketball is as popular as always, it's just that football is becoming increasingly popular.

A team could work here, but it is understandable that potential investors might want to be cautious.
That is good to hear. Although I might argue that any time a sport is a distant fourth in popularity its pretty tough to say its a basketball town.

It is starting to look like it will either be a six or seven team league at this point. Looking forward to the final announcement of teams and the upcoming draft.
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  #35  
Old Posted Jun 1, 2011, 12:35 PM
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I recently saw in one of the Ontario papers that the ownership group for the Kingston team has sent in their deposit for the league next year. Looks like things are moving full speed ahead. The Saint John/Halifax rivalry was really heating up towards the end of the season, looking forward to it being renewed!
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  #36  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2011, 1:22 PM
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Lamrock has high hopes for hoops

Published Saturday June 4th, 2011

New league | Gauging interest in Fredericton

B3 By BILL HUNT

hunt.bill@dailygleaner.com

Kelly Lamrock is "bullish" on the idea of a Fredericton franchise in the soon-to-be-launched National Basketball League of Canada. He's looking for some investors who share his vision.

Lamrock, the former Liberal MLA and provincial cabinet minister, says there are a group of 10 investors on board now and "we're looking to double the size of that group," with the idea of bringing minor professional basketball to the provincial capital in time for the 2012 season.

That would be the second year of the league, which owners of the Saint John Mill Rats, Halifax Rainmen and Quebec Kebs are trying to launch from the ashes of the Premier Basketball League.

The three Canadian entries withdrew from the PBL over disagreements with the structure of the league and threw their impetus behind a league they envision as having as many as eight teams by the time the league launches in November. Mill Rats owner Ian McCarthy was in transit from the United States and unavailable for comment yesterday.

The league website lists Moncton, and Ontario centres London, Oshawa, Kingston and Barrie as "pending teams" in the circuit.

Lamrock says he is "very serious" about putting Fredericton on the basketball map.

"In this marketplace, it's going to be a challenge," he admitted. "It's far from a sure thing. But I do think there's real potential in this league, and I think Fredericton can support professional calibre basketball."

Lamrock attended most of the Mill Rats games at their Harbour Station home last season. He would very much like to duplicate the product here with regard to the calibre of basketball and the "fan experience."

He said the Mill Rats, transplanted from Manchester, N.H., before last season, "had worked very hard to connect and build community roots. That's one of the league's strengths, and that would probably be our ownership policy."

He believes the ownership structure that would succeed in Fredericton is "a community-owned team with a number of different partners who really have one thing in common, that they love basketball and want to see a new sports option in Fredericton. It's the kind of league where you can have a community-owned team, and I think that's the strongest model. In minor league sports, over time, that's where it seems to work best."

Lamrock has faith in Fredericton as a sports town, despite the failure of two American Hockey League clubs in the past.

"I'm not discouraged by the experience we had here, quite the opposite," he said. "When we had good teams here, we supported them. Both AHL chapters ended, not really because the community turned away from the team. The Express was a corporate decision about placing a team closer to its parent. The Fredericton Canadiens had a very good run here and, in many ways, the AHL kind of outgrew them."

Lamrock said if the new league remains faithful to its current financial model, "we can make it work with from 1,900 to 2,100 fans...that's doable. But we've got to make sure the venue is right, the fan experience is strong. And we've got to make sure that, right from the very first exhibition game, that fan experience is something that keeps people coming back."

Lamrock though, is targeting November 2012 rather than the league's inaugural season.

Next season, he plans to make a regular pilgrimage to Saint John to watch the Mill Rats.

"I'll be encouraging people to go down and have a look at just how good this league is," he said. "This is, in many ways, the best basketball New Brunswick's been able to offer. I think the more people who see that, the more excited they'll be about the possibility that Fredericton and Moncton can be in this league too."

He hopes the community embraces the Fredericton franchise the way Saint John embraced the Mill Rats. In fact, he said the success of the franchise will depend on it.

"Ian (McCarthy, the Mill Rats owner) did everything right, from having minor league teams warm up with the players to retiring Norm Seeley's number to make those connections with Saint John...the local business support was huge. That's the biggest part we've got to see here in Fredericton.

"If we can build this product, will we see the kind of local support like businesses making sure the players have places to live and go, the kind of sponsorship...will city council get behind it the way Mayor (Ivan) Court did? He was at almost every game. If there's that level of enthusiasm, this market can work. When you're in a market of 60,000 people, anything less than complete enthusiasm and you're not going to make the market work."

Lamrock wants to have the ownership group - as many as 20 investors - and a local board of directors assembled by the end of January.

"We've got to be in position to have a stable ownership group and hit financial numbers we need," he said. "At that point, the goal would be to go to the public and see if we can have a season ticket drive that would see us have 1,000 to 1,500 fans get a deposit down on being a part of the season."

Lamrock sees lead time as "very important" in laying the groundwork for success.

"If you're running out in March and April, you're slap dashing a logo, you're not making a local connection with teams, you're scrambling to find players, then suddenly you've got a team that's 2-18, you're in a half-empty venue...that's not a fun place to be, it's not a fun product to watch.

"In any year, if we're thinking we're going to be on the court in October, we've got to sell tickets in January and be ready to go in March," Lamrock said. "You've got to be running pretty fast to start in February and put a Mill Rats calibre product on the floor in October."

Lamrock said the remnants of the PBL and its forerunner, the American Basketball Association, that survive as founders of the Canadian League "have always been better than the leagues they've been in. Now is their chance to deliver a league that is worthy of that kind of confidence.

"The only reason I've moved from being in the third row cheering to exploring, to getting serious about it is I think these guys know what they're doing and are committed to a level of professionalism that, so far, I'm comfortable with. I'm looking forward to watching the first season in Fredericton."

The league is operating on the basis of a season schedule "in the high 20s," said Lamrock. If there were an Atlantic or Maritime wing of the league in place, with teams in Halifax, Moncton, Fredericton and Saint John, it might lend itself to a longer schedule.

"That's a fantastic model, and it's one where the travel costs aren't a killer," he said.

Source: Daily Gleaner - http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/s...rticle/1412408
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  #37  
Old Posted Jun 6, 2011, 12:06 AM
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Thanks to Tony, one of our Mods, for changing the name of this thread (I PMed him).
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Old Posted Jun 7, 2011, 12:28 PM
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Moncton being considered for NBL franchise
Published Tuesday June 7th, 2011

Decision by prospective investors on whether to apply expected by tomorrow
by randy o'donnell
canadaeast news service

Moncton is among the cities a group of American and Japanese investors is considering for a National Basketball League of Canada franchise.

Bill Miller, who is working with the international group, said yesterday that prospective investors will likely make a decision by tomorrow on whether to apply for an NBL franchise. Moncton and Kitchener, Ont. are the two locations the group will discuss during an investors meeting in Tokyo.

Among those attending will be Masaki Hitosugi, the businessman instrumental in a Japanese all-star team playing an exhibition contest in Saint John April 24. The game, featuring the Saint John Mill Rats and Japanese pro league players, raised money for tsunami relief in the Sendai region.

It was during that weekend that initial discussion occurred between Hitosugi, Miller and representatives of the NBL's founding franchises.

"None of this would have happened if three things hadn't occurred," Miller said from Laconia, N.H. "One, Saint John stepped up and helped the people over there (Japan). Two, it was extremely well done, and three, I think we're dealing with good, decent people in the NBL."

The fledgling league launched May 12 with three charter franchises, the Mill Rats, the Halifax Rainmen and the Quebec Kebs. The teams left the Premier Basketball League following the 2011 season over disagreements with league management.

Three Ontario franchises, London, Kingston and Oshawa have applied to join the new league. All applications will be considered during the league's first general meeting June 15 in Toronto.

Ian McCarthy, the NBL's interim chief operating officer, called a Moncton team inevitable and said his preference would be to see the franchise operating this year.

"Kitchener would have been a great place for them but we felt that Moncton would be better because they'd have more support from us geographically in terms of helping them with how to do things," said McCarthy, who is also president and general manager of the Mill Rats.

"... For an owner to come into Moncton, you're almost guaranteed to have people who would be interested in coming watch the team play against rivals from Saint John or Halifax. ... It's very appealing."

Discussions between NBL executives and the City of Moncton have been ongoing since the concept of the Canadian league was first floated back in January.

Relocating a former Premier League franchise or the formation of a non-profit community ownership group were among the concepts considered.

Ian Fowler, general manager of economic development, tourism and culture for the City of Moncton, is more optimistic that a franchise will hit the hardwood during the 2012-13 season.

Prospective ownership groups in Fredericton and Barrie, Ont., are also shooting for a season two startup.

"That's great news," Fowler said of the Japanese interest.

"We'd certainly sit down with any ownership group for discussions. But as I say, it's now the middle of June and the clock is ticking.

"... We certainly have a genuine interest in wanting to be part of it but at the same time we want to make sure that the product is properly rolled out and that the initial success in Moncton is as solid as it was in Saint John last year."

Plans call for NBL training camps and the pre-season to begin in October. A 30-game regular season schedule and playoffs would unfold between November and March.

The Moncton franchise would likely play its games at the 7,000-seat Coliseum, also home to the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Fowler said the league schedule works well with available dates at the Coliseum, which tends to be booked solid in late March and April with playoff hockey and trade shows.

He's confident that once an ownership group is established, a lease agreement comparable to ones negotiated with Harbour Station and the Halifax Metro Centre can be worked out.

"We have done some market research and the market research has been positive relative to the support of a team," Fowler said.

"There are a lot of positives. The challenge is the time window.
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  #39  
Old Posted Jun 11, 2011, 1:18 AM
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NBL decision day fast approaching

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Sports/1247325.html

By BRIAN FREEMAN Sports Reporter
Wed, Jun 8 - 4:54 AM

The power brokers of the National Basketball League of Canada should have a pretty good idea in a week’s time how the fledgling hoops circuit is shaping up for its inaugural campaign.

June 15 is the deadline for new ownership groups to come forward and apply for membership in the minor professional loop, whose formation was announced last month by the Halifax Rainmen, Saint John Mill Rats and Quebec Kebs after they left the Premier Basketball League in April.

Prospective franchises that the NBL has already been in discussions with won’t be required to have their applications finalized on that date, but the league still intends to announce its roster of teams for the 2011-12 season on June 30, said Andre Levingston, owner of the Rainmen and acting president of the NBL.

"I think this year, realistically speaking, the way things are going, we’ll end up with anywhere between seven and 10 teams," he said Tuesday.

The league has already received deposit cheques from three Ontario ownership groups — in Oshawa, Kingston and London — and continues to negotiate with others.

Kitchener, Ottawa, Charlottetown and Moncton also remain possibilities, but the league, being cautious not to overextend itself too soon, doesn’t plan to look beyond Ontario at this point.

"We’ve got some interest from out west but we’re not interested in going out west this year," Levingston said.

Prospective teams are still working on venue leasing arrangements that have to be secured before they’re granted acceptance into the league.

"The exciting part is that these cities are excited about having professional basketball because, as we know, these arenas are underutilized across the country, they just have hockey in them," said Levingston, just back from a trip to Kingston and Oshawa, where he was working with ownership groups in both cities.

"So these arenas are being very flexible with our ownerships, which is good, and I’m pretty confident that everybody’ll get a lease that is good for their business model."

The NBL season will run from late October to March.
So looks like there will be 7 to 10 teams:
City (2010 Population Estimate)
RED = Founding Teams
GREEN = Expansion Teams
  1. Ottawa (1,239,140)
  2. Quebec (754,358)
  3. Kitchener (492,390)
  4. London (492,249)
  5. Halifax (403,188)
  6. Oshawa (364,193)
  7. Kingston (162,543)
  8. Moncton (137,346)
  9. Saint John (127,973)
  10. Charlottetown (60,000)
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  #40  
Old Posted Jun 13, 2011, 7:10 PM
josh_cat_eyes's Avatar
josh_cat_eyes josh_cat_eyes is offline
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Moncton NB
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Why wouldn't other cities in Quebec apply for a team? Montreal/Laval, Gatineau/Ottawa, Sherbrooke, Shawinigan, Saguenay or even Rimouski.
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