# NBL1 East

NBL1 East, formerly the Waratah League, is a semi-professional basketball league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2021, Basketball New South Wales partnered with the National Basketball League (NBL) to bring NBL1 to New South Wales in 2022. NBL1 replaced the former Waratah League to create more professional pathways and opportunities for males and females playing basketball in New South Wales. As a result, the Waratah League became the east conference of NBL1. The league was previously a member of the Australian Basketball Association (ABA) from 2001 to 2008.

## History

In 1991, the New South Wales Premier Division was established. In 2001, the league was rebranded as Waratah League when the league entered the Australian Basketball Association (ABA).
In 2021, Basketball New South Wales and the National Basketball League (NBL) announced a new partnership to bring NBL1 to New South Wales in 2022, with NBL1 replacing the Waratah League. The Waratah League was officially renamed NBL1 East and became the east conference of NBL1.

## Current clubs

| Club | City | State | Arena | Joined NBL1 | NBL1 National Championships | Most recent |
| Albury Wodonga Bandits** | Albury | New South Wales | Lauren Jackson Sports Centre | 2019 | 0 | N/A |
| BA Centre of Excellence** | Canberra | Australian Capital Territory | Australian Institute of Sport | 2019 | 0 | N/A |
| Bankstown Bruins* | Sydney | New South Wales | Bankstown Basketball Stadium | 2022 | 0 | N/A |
| Canberra Gunners/Canberra Nationals* | Canberra | Australian Capital Territory | Belconnen Stadium | 2022 | 0 | N/A |
| Central Coast Crusaders* | Central Coast | New South Wales | Breakers Indoor Sports Stadium | 2022 | 0 | N/A |
| Hills Hornets* | Sydney | New South Wales | Hills Sports Stadium | 2022 | 0 | N/A |
| Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Spiders | Sydney | New South Wales | Barker College Thornleigh Brickpit Basketball Sports Stadium | 2023 | 0 | N/A |
| Illawarra Hawks* | Wollongong | New South Wales | Snakepit Stadium | 2022 | 0 | N/A |
| Inner West Bulls* | Sydney | New South Wales | ELS Hall Park | 2022 | 0 | N/A |
| Maitland Mustangs* | Maitland | New South Wales | Maitland Federation Centre | 2022 | 0 | N/A |
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles* | Sydney | New South Wales | Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre | 2022 | 0 | N/A |
| Newcastle Falcons* | Newcastle | New South Wales | Newcastle Basketball Stadium | 2022 | 0 | N/A |
| Norths Bears* | Sydney | New South Wales | North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre | 2022 | 0 | N/A |
| Penrith Panthers | Sydney | New South Wales | Penrith Valley Indoor Sports Centre | 2023 | 0 | N/A |
| Sutherland Sharks* | Sydney | New South Wales | Sutherland Basketball Stadium | 2022 | 0 | N/A |
| Sydney Comets | Sydney | New South Wales | Comets Stadium | 2023 | 0 | N/A |
* Teams that transferred from the Waratah League. ** Teams that transferred from other NBL1 conference.

## List of Champions

| Men | Men | Men | Women | Women | Women |
| Teams | | Year(s) won | Teams | | Year(s) won |
| Sydney Comets | 5 | 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2015 | Bankstown Bruins | 10 | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2015 |
| Bankstown Bruins | 4 | 1993, 1996, 1997, 2016 | Newcastle Hunters/Falcons | 4 | 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024 |
| Illawarra Hawks | 4 | 1998, 1999, 2001, 2011 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 3 | 1991, 1992, 2017 |
| Sutherland Sharks | 4 | 2006, 2007, 2008, 2023 | Sutherland Sharks | 3 | 1993, 1995, 2021 |
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 4 | 2010, 2013, 2020, 2021 | ACT Academy | 3 | 2000, 2001, 2002 |
| Norths Bears | 3 | 2012, 2014, 2017 | Hornsby Spiders | 3 | 2007, 2009, 2014 |
| Parramatta Wildcats | 2 | 1994, 2009 | Norths Bears | 3 | 2018, 2020, 2023 |
| Newcastle Hunters | 2 | 2000, 2018 | Wagga Wolves | 1 | 1994 |
| Goulburn Bears | 1 | 1991 | Parramatta Wildcats | 1 | 1996 |
| Sydney Sonics | 1 | 1992 | Sydney Comets | 1 | 2008 |
| ACT | 1 | 1995 | Canberra Nationals | 1 | 2011 |
| Central Coast Crusaders | 1 | 2019 | Illawarra Hawks | 1 | 2013 |
| BA Centre of Excellence | 1 | 2021 | Albury Wodonga Bandits | 1 | 2022 |
| Canberra Gunners | 1 | 2022 | | | |
| Maitland Mustangs | 1 | 2024 | | | |