Melbourne United's NBL22 Schedule Released

The NBL have today announced the schedule for the upcoming NBL22 season.

It is Time to Unite behind your team, Melbourne United fans, as the road to defending our NBL Championship has been set and it is fair to say you won’t want to miss a moment of the LIVE basketball action this season.

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The NBL22 season has been pushed back a few weeks and will now tip-off on Friday, December 3, with the NBL stating their priority is placed on getting supporters back into stadiums to see their teams play.

“While it’s only a few weeks later than we originally planned, the new start date gives us a greater level of comfort and flexibility as we navigate through the current environment and prioritise having our growing number of fans courtside around the country and in New Zealand,” Hungry Jack’s NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger said.

“The NBL is a fan-first product and playing in front of crowds is vital for the league and our clubs. Giving supporters an even better chance of seeing their teams compete at home was a key driver in moving things back slightly and in how we’ve structured the schedule.”

Melbourne United’s season will begin with a Sunday afternoon blockbuster against the Sydney Kings at Qudos Bank Arena on December 5, before returning to John Cain Arena to take on cross-town rivals South East Melbourne Phoenix in Throwdown XIII at 1pm on Sunday December 12.

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It shall be the first time Melbourne United has returned to John Cain Arena since clinching the NBL21 Championship in June. Fans in the stadium for Throwdown XIII will also get to see Melbourne United’s NBA Champion Matt Dellavedova make his home-game debut.

Melbourne United’s Members and fans will be excited to see that all 14 home games will be at John Cain Arena this season, with 7 of those games to be played on a Sunday. The family-friendly home game schedule will see a new 1pm timeslot added to Sundays, as well as the traditional 3pm and 5:30pm. Other home game schedule highlights include 3 Saturday night games, 2 huge Throwdown games and 2 grand final rematches against the Perth Wildcats.

Melbourne United CEO Nick Truelson welcomed today’s schedule announcement and hinted at some exciting new additions to the Melbourne United game day experience that members and fans can get excited about.

“We’re thrilled to now have a start date in the calendar and look forward to welcoming Melbourne United Members and fans back to John Cain Arena,” Truelson said.

“The Melbourne United home game experience is one of the very best live sporting experiences in the country, and with a number of new initiatives to be introduced this season, that experience is set to go to yet another level.”

“We can’t wait to get the season underway, get as many fans as we can into John Cain Arena, and begin the defence of our Championship.”

Melbourne United fans will be looking forward to seeing the club reveal the new Championship Banner, after sweeping the Perth Wildcats 3-0 in the NBL21 Grand Final Series. The club will want as many fans as possible inside John Cain Arena to witness the marquee event, so will wait for further direction on crowd capacities before locking in which game the reveal shall occur.

With the addition of the Tasmanian Jack Jumpers, Melbourne United will now play all other teams 3 times, with the only exception being the South East Melbourne Phoenix. United will face the cross-town rivals 4 times, with all games to be at John Cain Arena.

The NBL have again adopted a flexible approach with contingencies built into the schedule for when borders reopen, vaccination rates reach state targets, venues become unavailable due to other events, lockdown rules ease and crowds are allowed back in arenas.

Stadium capacities will be something that all fans will be keeping an eye on, but Melbourne United can confirm it will be committed to prioritising access for Melbourne United Members. With memberships selling fast, fans are encouraged to SIGN UP NOW to avoid missing out.