NBL1 South Launches 2026 Season at Hoop City

The NBL1 South community officially launched the NBL1 South 2026 season on Friday night at Hoop City – Port Melbourne, bringing together league partners, club representatives, athletes and stakeholders as part of the annual pre-season Blitz.

Hosted at CourtSide inside Hoop City, the launch event celebrated the continued growth of the league while outlining several key initiatives and developments set to shape the upcoming season.

Master of Ceremonies Nathan Strempel welcomed guests and acknowledged the traditional owners of the land before thanking Hoop City and venue host Chris Moore for supporting the weekend’s event.

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DV1lZqak7U-/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DV1lZqak7U-/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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The evening brought together many of the key figures who help drive the success of the competition, including league partners and supporters; RSL Victoria’s Jacob Gossage, Mitsubishi’s Michael Williams, Pixellot’s Dean Anglin, and Spalding mascot Albert, representatives from the NBL and clubs across the league, along with athletes, coaches and stakeholders.

Basketball Victoria Chief Executive Officer Nick Honey also addressed attendees, highlighting the strength and continued growth of the NBL1 South competition.

Several new initiatives and updates for the 2026 season were also revealed during the evening.

The NBL1 South Finals Series will expand from eight to ten teams for the upcoming season, with the top four teams receiving a first-week bye instead of the previous double-chance format. The change reflects the increasing competitiveness of the league, with teams finishing ninth and tenth narrowly missing finals in recent seasons, while the past two men’s champions have both come from fifth place at the end of the regular season.

A new “Court Walk” blue-carpet experience will also be introduced at select Game of the Week matchups, giving clubs the opportunity to showcase their athletes and celebrate their communities in a format inspired by successful presentations at WNBL and NBL HoopsFest events.

The league also announced an expansion of the popular Local Legend Award, with Pixellot joining as a partner in 2026 to help recognise individuals nominated by clubs who have made a significant impact within their local associations and communities.

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International competition will also feature this year, with an NBL1 South Under-25 Select Team set to face the Chinese National Under-18 team on April 27. The side will be coached by Dandenong Rangers head coach Sam Woosnam, the only female head coach in the NBL1 South Men’s competition, alongside assistant coaches Andrew Cutler (Nunawading) and Kaleb Sclater (Melbourne).

The launch also highlighted several key club milestones and developments ahead of the new season.

A new Tasmanian entity, Northern Force, will join the competition representing the north and north-west of the state, while the Hobart Chargers will celebrate their 30th anniversary season, including a special Heritage Round matchup at MyState Arena against Northern Force.

Regional rivals Ballarat and Bendigo will also introduce a new trophy in 2026, competing annually for the Country Cup when the two sides meet.

Following the announcements, a panel of respected figures from across Victorian basketball media joined Strempel on stage, including Chris Anstey, Beth Davis and Matt Hickey. The panel discussion explored the upcoming NBL1 South 2026 season, the continued growth of NBL1 and NBL1 South, and the broader Victorian basketball landscape. The group also spoke about the important role the league plays in the national pathway, connecting local associations, community programs and elite basketball opportunities across the state and nation.

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The event conluded ahead of the evening’s NBL1 South Blitz games, with attendees invited to head downstairs to watch the action as the three-day pre-season showcase began.

The NBL1 South 2026 Pre-Season Blitz runs from March 13–15 at Hoop City – Port Melbourne, giving teams valuable match practice ahead of Round 1 while offering fans an early glimpse of the competition. Entry is FREE all weekend, with 28 games scheduled across the three days as clubs finalise preparations for the season ahead.

The NBL1 South 2026 season tips off on Friday 27th March 2026. For all the latest updates, including player signings, coaching appointments and league news, make sure you’re following NBL1 South on Facebook and Instagram.