Beginning as the Bulleen Boomers in 1984, the team underwent a name change in 2013 to Melbourne Boomers. In 2024, the Boomers' WNBL licence was transferred to Geelong United Basketball.
History
Bulleen-Templestowe Basketball Club (BTBC) was established in 1969.[1] In 1984, BTBC secured a licence to join the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL),[1] marking the debut of the Bulleen Boomers.[2]
The Boomers were first coached by Trevor Cook, with the initial team including Michele Timms and Samantha Thornton. The club first qualified for the WNBL finals in 1989 under the guidance of coach Paul Deacon, and, after progressing to the same stage the following year, missed the playoffs until 1996. In coach Lori Chizik's first season, Bulleen finished third in the regular season before bowing out in the semi-finals. Chizik led the Boomers to the 1999–2000 preliminary final, marking the club's best-ever result to that point. Cheryl Chambers then took over in 2001–02 and steered the club to two finals appearances, including the 2004–05 preliminary final. Katrina Hibbert and Hollie Grima formed the backbone of the Boomers during the 2000s. Hibbert won back-to-back League MVP awards during the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons.[2]
In 2013, BTBC changed the team name to Melbourne Boomers to target a wider area of population and boost crowd numbers.[2] The team also changed its colours from blue and gold to purple and gold, and moved their home games to the State Basketball Centre in Wantirna.[3] In 2014, Deakin University joined as a naming rights partner.[2] In 2016, a new ownership group took over the Boomers' license from BTBC.[2]
In March 2024, Geelong United Basketball (GUB) and a consortium of local private investors from Geelong expressed interest in acquiring the Boomers' licence after the Boomers' ownership group looked to transfer its licence.[6][7] Two months later, the license was officially transferred to GUB, with the team moving to Geelong under a new brand Geelong United.[8][9][10][11]
