Arabic version: جواهر تسمانيا تستعد لظهور أول مكتمل العدد في دوري كرة السلة الوطني للسيدات

According to ABC News, Tasmania will return to the Women’s National Basketball League 30 years after the Hobart Islanders left the competition, with the Tasmania Jewels scheduled to make their debut against the Geelong Venom on Thursday night. The game at MyState Bank Arena will be played before a sell-out crowd.

The Islanders won the WNBL championship in 1991 but their fortunes declined rapidly. After winning three games across their final two seasons, the club was $45,000 in debt and held a raffle in an effort to raise funds. Players began leaving as uncertainty grew, and the team folded three weeks before the 1997 season.

The new Jewels enter the league with 3,349 members, a WNBL membership record, and a sold-out 4,800-capacity arena for their home opener. Coach Claudia Brassard said the support for the side was “unique to Tasmania”, while former Islanders assistant coach Ross Park recalled the enthusiasm surrounding the state’s 1991 title-winning team.

Brassard is preparing the squad for the immediate pressure of competition, including questions over the readiness of Australian Opal Steph Reid after her World Cup duties in Germany and a knee issue. Kenyan player Madina Okot is also competing in the WNBA finals with the Atlanta Dream, meaning her arrival in Tasmania depends on the Dream’s progress. Brassard said the team had earned its expectations and would embrace the pressure.