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Darwin Salties
Darwin Salties
Leagues	NBL1 North
Founded	November 2021
Dissolved	September 2024
History	Darwin Salties; 2022–2024
Arena	Darwin Basketball Stadium
Location	Darwin, Northern Territory
Team colors	Blue and orange
Chairman	Gary Shipway (interim)
Ownership	Darwin Basketball Association (DBA); Basketball Northern Territory (BNT)
Championships	0
Website	nbl1.com.au

Darwin Salties was a NBL1 North club based in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The club fielded a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 North for three seasons and played their home games at Darwin Basketball Stadium. The club was run under the joint management of Darwin Basketball Association (DBA) and Basketball Northern Territory (BNT).

Club history

On 10 November 2021, the NBL1 announced that a club from Darwin under the joint management of Darwin Basketball Association (DBA) and Basketball Northern Territory (BNT) would enter the Queensland-based NBL1 North competition in the 2022 season. The club's entry saw the NBL1 become the first Australian sport league to have clubs based in and playing out of every state and territory in Australia.^[1]

On 20 December 2021, DBA announced that the club would be called the Darwin Salties. The club colours of blue and orange as well as the logo were also revealed.^[2]^[3]^[4] The Salties made their debut in the NBL1 North on 30 April 2022, with both teams recording wins in their first game.^[5]^[6]

In September 2024, after three seasons in the NBL1 North, the Salties withdrew from the league due to financial difficulties. The club had been forced to pay for both their own travel, as well as travel for opposition teams, due to their position in a Queensland based league, while being based in the Northern Territory. High air travel costs were cited for the clubs decision.^[7]^[8] The Salties had strong on-court results with the men finishing second on the ladder in the 2024 season. The club also boasted the highest home crowd spectator numbers of any club in the NBL1 North.^[9]^[10]

In November 2024, it was revealed that the Salties had attempted to enter the NBL1 Central but were unable to meet the requirements for the 2025 season. The club will reportedly look to return in 2026.^[11]

References

^ "Darwin/ Basketball Northern Territory to make NBL1 a truly national competition". NBL1.com.au. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
^ "NBL1 NORTH ANNOOUNCEMENT". facebook.com/DarwinBasketball. 20 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
^ "Darwin Salties to enter NBL1 North in 2022". australiabasket.com. 21 December 2021. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021.
^ Fitzgerald, Roxanne (22 December 2021). "New Northern Territory NBL1 team, the 'Darwin Salties', offers local players a national shot". abc.net.au. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021.
^ "Darwin vs. Red City Women - Full Game Stream". nbl1.com.au. 30 April 2022. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022.
^ "Darwin vs. Red City Men - Full Game Stream". nbl1.com.au. 30 April 2022. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022.
^ "CLUB STATEMENT - SALTIES looking for somewhere new to play". facebook.com/darwinsalties. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
^ Wood, David (20 September 2024). "Darwin Salties pull out of Queensland league citing costs". NT Independent. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
^ Chambers, Nathaniel (20 September 2024). "Darwin Salties leave NBL1 North after three years". Northern Territory News. Archived from the original on 22 September 2024.
^ Hislop, Jack (20 October 2024). "What the demise of a popular Darwin basketball club could mean for the NT's AFL team bid". ABC News. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
^ Chambers, Nathaniel (6 November 2024). "Darwin Salties hit pause on 2025 return ambitions". The Toowoomba Chronicle. Retrieved 25 November 2024. The Salties have since entered early discussions with South Australia's NBL1 Central division about entering their competition, but have been unable to meet the requirements for the 2025 season... A club spokesperson said they were confident the NBL1 Central division would be a better, more sustainable fit due to cheaper travel and accommodation costs.