Monday, March 5, 2012

National Basketball League Road Map

nbl, sydney, melbourne, map
'30 Home Games' NBL map of Australia
Adelaide 36ers - Adelaide Arena
Crittenden Rd
Findon SA 5023

Cairns Taipans - Cairns Convention Centre
Cnr Wharf & Sheridan Street
QLD 4870

Gold Coast Blaze - Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
Gold Coast Highway
Broadbeach QLD 4218

Melbourne Tigers - "The Cage", State Netball Hockey Centre
10 Brens Drive,
Parkville, VIC 3052

New Zealand Breakers - North Shore Events Centre
North Shore, Auckland

Perth Wildcats - Challenge Stadium
Stephenson Avenue,
Mt Claremont, WA 6010

Sydney Kings - Sydney Entertainment Center
35 Harbour St, Darling Harbour
NSW 2000

Townsville Crocodiles - "The Swamp", Townsville entertainment and Convention Centre
Entertainment Road,
Townsville QLD 4810


Wollongong Hawks - "The Sandpit", WIN Entertainment Centre
Cnr of Crown & Harbour Streets,
Wollongong, NSW 2520

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The NBL season is heating up as it nears the playoffs. After having a Basketball experience in a dozen countries around Europe and witnessing a handful of leagues from Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Turkey and the EuroBasket in Lithuania. I will continue this energy home with our local competition, the National Basketball League. I've already been inviting myself to more pickup games and aim to visit parts of the Country I've never experienced (Cairns, Townsville), hoping to make meaningful connections like those I made abroad.

Whilst I had set myself a firm goal of having a basketball experience in each place, my European adventures were footloose and organic. My enthusiasm for basketball introduced me to people and situations I hadn't expected.
- Got free tickets to the EuroBasket semis by befriending a Dutch guy on the bus. Reconnecting with him in the capital, he had befriended CouchSurfers who had tickets on offer
- Befriended Lithuanian locals after seeking advice on the game that evening, I went parasailing with them and hung at their lavish home,
- Lived with Germans from the Sports College of Köln after connecting before a pickup game at their Campus court
- Had a place to stay in Estonia, when a fellow Couchsurfer recognised me at a basketball game in Tartu

I'm slightly worried that overplanning will spoil some of the magic but its all part of the fun. I've found people to be very helpful all around the world, Its just a matter of finding compatibility and exchanging positive energy. I'm optimistic.

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