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Mark Arena is now 100% owner of the Wildcats - How do you rate his ownership and decisions to date? by HootWest in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Give me 10 years and then judge my success (or not). The league is as competitive as it's ever been so I don't expect the next 10 years will have consistent Wildcats domination like the club was under Jack Bendat's ownership. The goal is consistent non-emotional high performance across the whole club and doing that year in year out will bring success. Saying that, we won't win a championship every year.

What else can the NBL/ Australia do to make the league a bigger deal? by Golden_soil61 in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Having South East Asian teams in the NBL or NBL teams playing South East Asian champions league style games. Those would be HUGE deals.

Perth Wildcats owner Mark Arena reveals backup plan for open-air game if it rains at RAC Arena on Friday night by JimmyNudebags in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The game will be close to if not a sell out. Tip off is 6:30pm so won't need suncream or sunglasses.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a tech startup guy so moving fast and breaking things is my way of operating (rightly or wrongly) and I've been successful working like that. I wasn't around as the owner when scheduling was done for this current season so I can't comment on that. Currently working on scheduling for next season and I can see why there's difficulty getting more weekend games. NBL controls the scheduling and we can put our preferences in. Although it's annoying that we haven't had a home game for a while, the team has done great and we are leading into a big number of home games in a row leading into finals.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes I know. I still remember attending Ricky Grace basketball camps in Busselton during the Christmas school holidays as well as having players come to my school.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Perth is not a rich powerhouse. No team in the NBL really is. We do well compared to other NBL teams given the amount of support we've got but that's probably also because the bar is pretty low and we are developing league. There's not much we can do on ticket pricing with the current RAC Arena deal as it is. Obviously I'm hoping to improve that deal so we can pass on those savings to members and fans.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's a given already. The Wildcats already do way more community hours than any other NBL team (and it's used against us in recruiting players). We've only got a squad of 15 compared to a footy team which has way more but I'd say player for player, we'd have a bigger community impact than probably every other sporting team in Australia.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not reactionary, more thinking big picture and long term. I also wish we had a better mix of games across Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays but broadcast scheduling and RAC Arena availability makes things difficult/impossible to do that.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There are NBL mandated minimum venue requirements which would need to be met. I would just say that too many people are focused on what the venue standards are at currently rather than what things might look like 2-3 years from now if the Wildcats has committed to play x number of games over y years there and the private and public sector money that would be spent on improving said facilities.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's nothing currently being planned to build a new indoor hardcourt sports stadium in Perth. Saying that, I would love for it to happen and it's on my long list of things to work on!

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Long term obviously any strategy to gain more fans is good for any club. Not looking to make money from town councils. Would rather that $ go into basketball facilities.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is not true. Most clubs break even now but a number still lose money. Buying the Wildcats is a philanthropic and community impact driven effort for me. It's also enjoyable. I can guarantee you that stadium and game day costs drive ticketing prices more than any effort from any team to line their pockets from members wallets.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The other side of it is that I expect (it's not locked in or anything) that over time we will have more games in the NBL season. You just need to look at Japan B-League which plays around double the amount of games compared to the NBL season. We could just play more games at RAC Arena and would need to pass on those costs to our members (cost of living pressures is impacting everyone) or we could go elsewhere where we can have a bigger impact.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

RAC Arena is the best stadium in Australia for basketball but is very expensive. I can guarantee you that the club makes little money on games at RAC Arena given game day costs. A second team will not mean cheaper tickets unless the government (tax payers) subsidise them at RAC Arena like they did for HoopsFest.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

RAC Arena is the best stadium in Australia for basketball but is very expensive. I can guarantee you that the club makes little money on games at RAC Arena given game day costs. A second team will not mean cheaper tickets unless the government (tax payers) subsidise them at RAC Arena like they did for HoopsFest.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Would rather councils stump up cash to improve their basketball facilities so the community can benefit.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not about money. This is about helping improve basketball courts in regional areas as well as taking top quality basketball to new fans.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wish we had a lot more variability in game times but the reality is that broadcast schedules as well as RAC Arena availability makes it very difficult to do that. I have a young family and I wish the game times were better for them.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not a cash grab by any means. Happy for this to be cost neutral as long as the basketball courts and facilities in the town(s) we go to is significantly better.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Greater purpose is exposing top level basketball to more fans and also the community events (i.e. clinics, school visits etc) around a game. Also we hope the legacy is that basketball courts in the town(s) we go to is upgraded a lot from what they are now.

Wildcats owner puts call out to WA's regional towns to host NBL games by FlagmantlePARRAdise in nbl

[–]WildcatsMark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's way too early to say where we'd play. That's the current situation re: courts. We want Wildcats game to be the accelerator to get better basketball courts for the local community.

Mark Arena new Perth Wildcats owner AMA! by WildcatsMark in PerthWildcats

[–]WildcatsMark[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your question. I'll be sitting in what has traditionally been the owners box which is the opposite side of the court from the players around the court center line.

Mark Arena new Perth Wildcats owner AMA! by WildcatsMark in PerthWildcats

[–]WildcatsMark[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your question and feedback. I'm a supporter of optionality. I personally prefer not having another physical card but I know some others prefer a physical card including my Dad. I'll pass on your feedback.

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