"One club, two teams": Buccaneers embark on new NBL1 voyage

The Geraldton Buccaneers will be fielding a women's team in the 2027 NBL1 West competition, cementing the NBL1's status as Australia's most wide-reaching elite product in regional Australia.

The Geraldton Amateur Basketball Association committed in principle in March 2026, and alongside Basketball Western Australia, confirmed the news on Tuesday.

Living under the mantra, "One Club, Two Teams", they have assembled a playing squad, led by an appointed interim head coach.

Basketball WA Chief Executive Officer Fabian Ross said that the Geraldton basketball community were the main driving force in eliciting change.

"GABA has done the work. They built the case and they brought their community with them, and Basketball WA is proud to confirm the Buccaneers women will take the court in NBL1 West in 2027," Ross said.

"For young women in Geraldton, the pathway now runs all the way through. Domestic basketball, state championships, high performance and NBL1, in the town they grew up in with their families in the stands."

NBL1 Australia General Manager Tyrone Thwaites was thrilled to announce the move, as it represents the final, important piece of the puzzle.

"Geraldton has been a proud part of NBL1 West for a long time, and a women's team completes what this club has been working towards. We're delighted that from 2027, every NBL1 club in the country will field both a men's and a women's team," Thwaites said.

"The Buccaneers have one of the strongest followings in the competition.

"We are looking forward to seeing their women's team take the court in 2027."

The news means that the accessibility for those living outside of Perth to play NBL1 West basketball significantly increases. Geraldton sits approximately 400km away from the nearest NBL1 West club.

Geraldton Amateur Basketball Association President Peter Brown said that the announcement would have a lasting effect that runs deeper than the surface.

"A women's team in NBL1 West means the girls coming through now have something to aim at without leaving Geraldton, and that matters to this whole association," Brown said.

"There are families in this town who have driven their kids up and down the Coast Highway for years to get them a game.

"This is for them as much as anyone."

The Buccaneers have been part of the WA state league system since 1989, and have built one of the competition's most distinctive home-court environments at Activewest Stadium, where crowds regularly outstrip metropolitan venues.

Looking to capitalise on this momentum, The City of Greater Geraldton have committed up to $446,000 towards a revamp of Activewest Stadium, including new changerooms.

Ahead of 2027, Geraldton's next steps involve recruiting players and rounding out their coaching and officials before their pre-season preparations ramp up in the new year.

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