Basketball: Funders stump up for finals

Local funders have come to the party, contributing more than $30,000 to secure the National Basketball League finals for Invercargill for the first time.

The two semifinals will be played next Friday at ILT Stadium Southland and the final at 7pm the following day.

The stadium is the home venue for the Southern Institute of Technology-sponsored Zero Free Southland Sharks.

The Sharks have reached the semifinals three times since entering the league in 2010, and yesterday chairman Gareth Davis said he had every expectation they would be there again this year.

But even if they did not, it was "extremely exciting'' the finals were in Invercargill.

"The years we have been at the final four weekend only a select few travelled to enjoy the games live. Now it's Southlanders' turn.''

Sharks fans were known for their loyal and vocal support, and the stadium was a "cool place'' to watch basketball, he said.

A capacity crowd of about 3000 watched a Breakers-Sydney Kings preseason game there in September and Davis said he expected the finals would sell out too.

On Wednesday the Community Trust of Soutland approved a grant of $10,500, chief executive John Prendergast said.

The money would subsidise team flight and accommodation costs, plus other costs such as venue hire.

"They have only budgeted for costs for bringing three teams south, so they must be pretty confident the Sharks will be there,'' he said.

Organisers had given the cost of the weekend as $111,000, he said.

Prendergast said the trust was happy to support the event.

"It's great for the region, and it's great to have a venue which can host something like this.''

The Invercargill Licensing Trust and the Invercargill City Council (ICC) events fund have also contributed $10,000 each.

Licensing trust president Allan Dennis said he did not mind if most of the tickets sales were to locals.

"Bringing people to Southland is nice, but our primary objective [with this grant] is because we want Southlanders to enjoy sporting opportunities like these.''

ICC events fund committee chairman Peter Kett said the weekend would be "brilliant'' for Southlanders, and for supporters of the teams which made the finals.