WNBL expansion into Tasmania was an "easy decision"

On Tuesday, the WNBL announced Tasmania will enter the league as the ninth club in the 2026/27 season. Having last had a team in 1996 (Hobart Islanders), the WNBL side will follow on the success of the NBL’s JackJumpers – who have sold out every single home game since their 2021 debut. 

“[There’s] obviously a really passionate community here for basketball and a really great business organisation behind the JackJumpers and all the puzzle pieces fit together pretty quickly. So it was a pretty easy decision to welcome Tasmania as the ninth team,” Sager said. 

“It's not just about the business side of it, it's also about the community and it's clear that the community wants a women's team here.” 

While under the same ownership as the JackJumpers, Sager explained the women’s team will look to create a new identity. She added that the new team wants to ensure Tasmanians can have their input on what the team will look like, forming a unique look and feel which truly reflects the Tasmanian community. 

Expansion is the epitome of growth in women’s basketball, with the Opals reclaiming their place as a top-two team in the world, the WNBA reaching unprecedented heights, and junior participation at an all-time high – Sager says this is the perfect moment to expand the WNBL. 

“It's a great sign of the growing popularity of women's basketball in Australia. [It] helps develop those pathways for the athletes, but also for anyone who wants to work in basketball. So everyone is incredibly excited and supportive,” she said.

“It's absolutely the right time to bring a team here.” 

Sustainability will be a key focus on the new team and also the WNBL. With the global momentum of basketball and plans to introduce a tenth team in the near future, the time is right to create more playing opportunities for the country’s future stars. 

“We have a tremendous goal to uplevel the clubs, players and the league as a whole,” she said. 

“We're showing investment is going in and giving the athletes and the clubs a lot more recognition that they quite frankly deserve… We're investing in just about every single area… There’s no stone unturned.” 

With plans to spread games across both Hobart and Launceston, Sager explained how ensuring all of Tasmania feels included in this new team is critical to its long-term success.

“Building a sustainable league is really important and making sure that we're continuing to develop those pathways for young athletes who want to continue on to the sport,” she said. 

“Taking the games on the road, it's important to us to grow recognition for the sport, for the athletes and for this club because it'll be brand new next season. We want to expose it to as many people as we can in the state. So we absolutely will take some games on the road.” 

The 2025/26 WNBL season starts on October 18th. 

If you want to be involved in the newest WNBL club, you can cast your vote on what the team’s name could be here. 

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