AusLeisure

The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) broke its attendance record tonight at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena last night with 7681 fans packed into see Southside Flyers take on Sydney Flames.

The inaugural game at the venue beat the League’s previous record held by an Adelaide v Melbourne game in 1995.

Last night’s game honoured one of sporting great Lauren Jackson who suffered an injury in the first quarter and was unable to further participate in the game.

Owner of the Southside Flyers and ardent supporter of women’s basketball Gerry Ryan wanted to put his team on the bigger stage and was committed to making the game at John Cain Arena a reality.

Ryan explained “the quality of women’s basketball in this country is outstanding, we know how much our fans love the games and we wanted to extend it to a bigger audience.

“I appreciate the support of the Victorian Government and Melbourne Olympic Parks who are great supporters of women’s sport and have made tonight possible.”

Post-game, the injured Jackson was disappointed but full of praise for the crowd, noting “I’m really delighted to see so many fans come out tonight, I’m only sorry that I couldn’t be out there on the court making an impact.

“It was so inspiring to see a full arena, a special thank you to my family, Gerry and the Flyers fans for coming out tonight.”

Image: Fans at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena last night for the WNBL clash between the Southside Flyers and Sydney Flames.

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