LOGAN City Council sports committee chairman Cr Phil Pidgeon says the withdrawal of the Logan Thunder women's basketball team from the 2014/15 season is "devastating" for the city.
The team has been unable to satisfy its sponsorship requirements by deadline to Basketball Australia and announced this morning it had withdrawn its submission to field a team in the upcoming season.
"It's devasating for the city, for women's sport in particular and for the fact this was our only national sporting team in a national competition," Cr Pidgeon said.
"It's really very sad on that basis. These girls inspired a lot of people including young women."
The Thunder's withdrawal from the season leaves Logan without a national sporting team, a situation Cr Pidgeon said he was shocked by given the city's size and growth.
"It puzzles me why we can't get or achieve hosting a national sporting team of some description, whether its basketball or NRL," he said.
A tough economy limiting funds available for sponsorship has not helped the situation, Cr Pidgeon said.
"People are having trouble paying their power bills and they're having trouble keeping their business doors open and this flows on to sponsorship of support of charities and particularly sporting teams," he said.
Despite the Thunder being out of the next season, basketball continues to be a growth sport in the city and Cr Pidgeon said he was confident Logan would be competing on the national court again in due course.
"The National Basketball League (NBL) is recognising this corridor as a basketball powerhouse," he said.
"I still think we've got a great potential not only for the Women's National Basketball League to come back next year but also potentially an NBL team."
