Newcastle Falcons (Australia)

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Newcastle Falcons
Established	1979
Final Season	1998/99
Former Home Venue	Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle
Team Colours	Red, Blue and White
Championships	None
Team History	Newcastle Falcons (1979-1998/99)

Newcastle Falcons were an Australian basketball team, that played in Newcastle, in the National Basketball League. The team played in the NBL's inaugural season in 1979, and left the league in the late 1990s, after new owners based in Albury couldn't resolve the club's ongoing financial problems.

The Falcons hold a special place in the history of league. The club was responsible for the formation of the league, and were the organisers. The other clubs had to pay a fee of around $300 to the Falcons to participate in that first season. The city is regarded as the birth place of the NBL.

The club's original colours were green and white, being the city's colours, but the club soon changed to black and red, and to red and blue, after the Newcastle Knights' admission to the New South Wales Rugby League. All the national league clubs in Newcastle took on red and blue as their colours at some stage in their existence.

In 1992, the club moved from its original home stadium at the Broadmeadow Basketball Stadium to the new Newcastle Entertainment Centre. The club's downfall began in the mid-1990s when problems with sponsor Topper befell them and the Newcastle Breakers. Even with the support of new sponsor Energy Australia and new owners, the club couldn't get itself out of trouble, and left the league in the late 1990s.

The city had no NBL team until the new owners of the Canberra Cannons moved to Newcastle and established the Hunter Pirates in 2003.

[edit] Honour roll

NBL Championships:	None
NBL Finals Appearances:	?
NBL Grand Final Appearances:	None
NBL Most Valuable Players:	None
NBL Grand Final MVPs:	None
All-NBL First Team:	?
NBL Coach of the Year:	Bob Turner (1981), Tom Wisman (1995)
NBL Rookie of the Year:	Scott McGregor (1996)
NBL Most Improved Player:	Tonny Jensen (1995), Ben Pepper (1997), Ben Melmeth (1998)
NBL Best Defensive Player:	Terry Dozier (1992, 1993)
NBL Best Sixth Man:	Ben Pepper (1997)