ABC TV for Women's football?

The Sydney Morning Herald are reporting Women's basketball is to be given the bounce from FTA live games on Saturday afternoons. And the suggestion is Women's live football will fill the spot! See your Canberra daughter play live on TV. That would be nice!

http://www.smh.com.au/news/basketball/abc-plans-to-give-wnbl-the-bounce/2008/07/03/1214950952192.html

ABC plans to give WNBL the bounce

Jacquelin Magnay
July 4, 2008

THE ABC has slam-dunked its live coverage of the Women's National Basketball League for the coming season and plans to replace the prime 4pm Saturday afternoon highlights with a sport more politically in favour - women's football.

Football Federation Australia received a $32 million Federal Government grant in the last budget, some of which was to pay for the broadcast costs of a women's football league. Rugby league and rugby union officials were furious, having lost $35m in collective grants at the same time.

But now it appears the most successful women's sport - the Opals are world champions - will lose out.

A spokesman for the Federal Minister for Sport, Kate Ellis, said she was unaware of the changes but would be disappointed if programming changes led to a reduction in women's sport on free-to-air TV.

ABC's head of sport and events, Iain Knight, said the ABC would not take money off women's football - the same stance as its deal with basketball and previously with netball.

He confirmed the changes to the basketball coverage, but said no decision had been made on which sport would get the 4pm timeslot.

The ABC has cut its coverage of women's basketball from its digital channel, ABC2, which broadcast games live on Friday night. ABC1 also used to show a women's basketball highlights package at 4pm on Saturday afternoon. Under the new plans, the basketball will lose its live coverage and have a 90-minute highlights package at the less favourable Saturday time of 2pm.

The decision has crushed basketball officials, who are reeling from the turmoil in the men's code following the demise of the Sydney Kings and Brisbane Bullets.

"This is a slap in the face for women's basketball, and to find that the coverage of women's sport can't even be maintained is very, very disappointing," Sydney Flames board member Michelle Nancarrow said.

Basketball Australia chief executive Scott Derwin said women's basketball would come off what was expected to be a successful Olympics campaign with a dramatic reduction in what was being broadcast.

"This will have a dramatic effect and potentially be very, very costly in terms of the profile of the league and its ability to attract sponsors," he said.

This season, the WNBL will feature 11 teams following the inclusion of Logan from South-East Queensland. The season runs from October to March.