Boomers and Opals double in Brisbane!!

Sports fans in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney will be able to cheer on both the Boomers and ‘Jayco’ Opals men’s and women’s Australian national basketball teams as they vie for a berth at the 2012 London Olympic Games with the news today that their FIBA Oceania Championship series against New Zealand will be a unique double-header event.

For the first time ever the Boomers and Opals will play the Olympic qualification series as a double-header, with Game One of both series in Melbourne on 7 September at the State Netball Hockey Centre (AKA ‘The Cage’), Game Two at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on 9 September and Game Three at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on 11 September.

Basketball Australia Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock said the series was a fantastic opportunity for fans to cheer on both the Boomers and Opals as they vie for their tickets to London.

“In the past, these series have always been held as separate events but we think there are significant advantages to playing the Opals and Boomers games as a double-header,” said Sengstock. “It is a unique opportunity for Australian sports fans to get behind both the men’s and women’s teams and we believe there will be strong support from the public for what we expect to be an amazing series.”

Boomers head coach Brett Brown said he expected a tough series from the New Zealand Tall Blacks.

“New Zealand are well coached and have been together as a group for a long time,” said Brown. “The Breakers team that won the NBL Championship was basically the core of the Tall Blacks squad, so they are going to be very comfortable together and we are going to have our hands full.

“We respect the Tall Blacks but we are also going to have a Boomers team that will feature a lot of our guys who have been playing professionally overseas. The fans are going to get the chance to see some truly elite level international basketball, so it’s really exciting.”

‘Jayco’ Opals head coach Carrie Graf said having the home court advantage for the tussle against their trans-Tasman rivals would be a huge boost for both Australian sides.

“You cannot underestimate the value in having a sea of green and gold supporting you when you’re in a tough series against a quality opponent like New Zealand,” said Graf. “It lifts you to another level of intensity and we know the crowd will really be into it given the strength of the trans-Tasman rivalry.

“Both the Boomers and ‘Jayco’ Opals are going to be really glad to have the home town support when we’re playing with a ticket to London on the line,” Graf added.

The winner of both the men’s and women’s series, which will be the best-of-three, will automatically qualify for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The losing teams will be forced to participate in a further qualification tournament against the best non-qualifiers from all FIBA zones to earn a berth.

Full ticketing details for all three games are below.

2011 FIBA OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Game 1 - Wednesday 7 Sep – State Netball Hockey Centre (Melb.)

5.15pm Opals - 7.30pm Boomers

Tickets: Ticketmaster - 13 61 00 OR www.ticketmaster.com.au


Game 2 – Friday 9 September - Brisbane Entertainment Centre

5.15pm Opals - 7.30pm Boomers

Tickets: Ticketek - 132-849 OR www.ticketek.com

ADULT: A-Reserve - $30.00, B-Reserve - $22.00

JUNIOR 3-15 YEARS: A-Reserve - $20.00, B-Reserve - $15.00

CONCESSION - STUDENT/PENSIONER/SENIOR CARD HOLDER: A-Reserve -$25.00, B-Reserve - $18.00

FAMILY PASS: A-Reserve - $75.00, B-Reserve - $60.00


Game 3 – Sunday 11 Sep – Sydney Entertainment Centre

4.00pm Boomers (Subject To Change) - 6.15pm Opals (Subject To Change)

Tickets: Ticketmaster 1300 883 322 OR www.ticketmaster.com.au




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