The NBL has agreed to reinstate the original name of the Illawarra Hawks.
Months of campaigning from Hawks coach Brian Goorjian and president Dorry Kordahi has paid off, with the region’s name to return in time for Wednesday’s blockbuster clash against Melbourne United at the WIN Entertainment Centre.
The club has exceeded the 4,379 members required by the league thanks to a boost of corporate support and increased memberships from the local community.
The foundation club which has participated in all 43 NBL seasons since the league began in 1979 achieved the membership target required by the NBL to revert to the team’s previous name last week.
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Disappointed by the lack of community investment and support, the NBL stripped the Hawks of their “Illawarra” branding as part of the sale to a new ownership consortium last year.
At the time the Hawks changed ownership the league had serious doubts over the regions ability to host an NBL team and set the membership requirement as an ultimatum that if it wasn’t achieved the team would need to play games in different cities across Australia and to incorporate a broader appeal Illawarra was removed from the team name. Plans for the Hawks to play games in Newcastle and West Sydney had been discussed and deal to play games this season in Canberra had been struck before COVID-19 impacted league scheduling.
“Last November the owners of The Hawks approached the NBL and expressed their desire to reinstate the Club’s name to the Illawarra Hawks. The NBL indicated to The Hawks that we were prepared to consider this request if there was sufficient support from the Illawarra community to make the Club a viable proposition into the future in the local market.NBL Executive Chairman Larry Kestelman said.
“Today we are pleased to announce that we have agreed to their request after they met their membership target this season and attracted increased corporate support from the local community.
“We have the utmost faith in the new owners and the hard work they are doing to build a strong Club. They have brought back the NBL’s most successful coach Brian Goorjian and enjoyed their best start to a season since 2013.
“This is a fantastic first step. But as the owners themselves have said, the Club needs to build a long-term and sustainable future and we encourage everyone across the Illawarra region to get out and support the Hawks.
“We will continue to monitor their progress and work closely with the owners and management of the Illawarra Hawks and look at all opportunities to grow the Club and ensure its long-term viability in the NBL.”
The decision to remove Illawarra from the team’s name was also a result of the team’s financial instability over the past five years, including being placed into voluntary administration for the second time in history last year. The league had intended for the removal of the Hawks name to be a permanent decision but Goorjian and Kordahi were determined to bring the name back.
“We thank the NBL for all of its support since we took over the Club last June. Larry Kestelman has backed us to rebuild the Club and we are very appreciative of everything he and the team at the NBL have done to help make this happen” said Kordahi.
“Most of all we want to thank all of our fans and corporate partners who have supported us during this period. We couldn’t do this without them and we encourage all people across the Illawarra region to get behind the Club and ensure its long term viability.”
Over the past month, the club has also attracted increased corporate support which included bringing Multi Civil & Rail (MCR) back on-board as a major partner.
Although there is ample reason for “Hawk Heads” to celebrate, Kordahi has let the fans know that the franchise would still need to uphold business standards to secure the club’s long-term future.
“So even if we get this name back, we are not saved,” he said.
“This is an ongoing moving target. If we are still lingering around 3000 members in a few years time, then we won’t be here because we are not here to lose $3m a year. So, the fans need to support their team.”