The announcement of the event on 14 October by Tasmania Government, TEG Sport and Basketball Australia was met with celebration and the event delivered , with a week of community & industry events to kickstart the FIBA World Cup 2027 – Asian Qualifiers.
A crowd of 4137 packed MyState Bank Arena in a thrilling 84 – 79 encounter which went down to the wire and Minister for Tourism, Hospitality and Events, Jane Howlett, said it was great to see Tasmanians get behind the Aussie Boomers and fill MyState Bank Arena for the game.
“The fact tickets to this international match sold out proves Tasmanians love our sport, and we love basketball,” Minister Howlett said.
“We look forward to the Boomers returning again, and the boost games like these bring to our tourism and hospitality sectors, while strengthening our reputation as a world-class host for major events.”
The Boomers landed on the 24th of November for an extended training camp with Kingborough Sports Centre hosting the practice for the week.
A priority for Basketball Australia for home windows is to connect with community, particularly if there’s been a period of absence from the area.
As the group prepared for the Tall Blacks, all key areas of the basketball eco-system were engaged with a basketball roadshow featuring a Coaches Clinic, Ford Aussie Hoops Clinic, Officials Workshop.
Nicole Thompson, General Manager – Marketing & Events spoke to the engagement from Tasmanians and the impact of providing a diversified week of activity.
“Tasmanian’s clearly love their basketball. It was incredible to see the Tasmanian audience really get behind the Boomers and create such a vibrant atmosphere. It really helped create a home court advantage,” said Thompson.
“It was really important to us to be able to promote and showcase basketball as whole throughout our time in Hobart. Beyond the game itself, the engagement with the community across all of the activities that were run will leave a lasting impact. That is something we couldn’t have achieved without the help of our partners,”
“We’re appreciative of the Tasmanian Government and their support in helping us bring the Boomers to Hobart. This game wouldn’t have happened without their commitment and support,”
“Similarly, our industry partner Basketball Tasmania were instrumental in establishing touch-points with the community and we appreciate TEG Sport, FIBA, as well as the Tasmania JackJumpers who empowered us to deliver a truly international level event to Hobart.”
Community engagement met practicality with the involvement of Tasmanian officials, resulting in a group of statisticians and score-table technicians entirely sourced from local and freshly accredited specialists from the region. An on-court and film room session with FIBA ref Shannon Jennings on 27 November complimented the application of an all-Tassie technical team.
Collaborative activity with Basketball Tasmania extended to She Hoops with a visit to Kingston Primary School for Her Court, an initiative to encourage girls to take to the basketball courts at lunch time and the week was rounded out with a She Hoops finale featuring Tess Madgen and Alanna Smith.
Opals and Minnesota Lynx star, Alanna Smith was active on her hometown return with visits to Riverside Primary School in Launceston and the incredible families and children at Royal Hobart Hospital.
The Ford Dealership Network, Major Partner of Basketball Australia continues to travel with the team and support Australian basketball home and away. Boomers’ players Jack White, Jaylin Galloway and Dash Daniels showed their appreciation with a visit to Tilford Ford during the week with the local dealer providing vehicles that are essential for event delivery and transport.
Once the dust had settled and the team was jetting to Wellington for Game Two, Tasmania had hosted four clinics / workshops, four community visits and one massive win for the Boomers.
The return to the Apple Isle couldn’t have been sweeter and undoubtedly the return will be much shorter until the next.
Hobart is the official host city of this FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifier and the event is supported by the Tasmanian Government.
For more events & activities visit Discover Tasmania or download and connect via Discover Tasmania phone app.
