Rainbow Coast Raiders
Basketball team in Albany, Western Australia
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Rainbow Coast Raiders was a State Basketball League (SBL) club based in Albany, Western Australia. The club fielded a team in both the Men's SBL and Women's SBL. The Raiders played their home games at Albany Sports Centre.
Rainbow Coast Raiders
1989–1995
Albany Raiders
1996–1997
Great Southern Raiders
1998
Rainbow Coast Raiders
1999
Women:
Rainbow Coast Raiders
1992–1994
| Rainbow Coast Raiders | |
|---|---|
| |
| Leagues | State Basketball League |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Dissolved | 1999 |
| History | Men: Rainbow Coast Raiders 1989–1995 Albany Raiders 1996–1997 Great Southern Raiders 1998 Rainbow Coast Raiders 1999 Women: Rainbow Coast Raiders 1992–1994 |
| Arena | Albany Sports Centre |
| Location | Albany, Western Australia |
| Team colors | 1989–1997 White, green, yellow/gold[1] 1998–1999 White, purple, black[1] |
| Championships | 0 |
Club history
1989 saw the formation of the State Basketball League (SBL) with both a men's and women's competition. A team from Albany, known as the Raiders, entered the Men's SBL for its inaugural season.[2][3] They were the first team outside of Perth to enter the SBL[4] and represented the Rainbow Coast and Great Southern region.[1]
The Raiders missed the finals in their first three seasons before making the top eight for the first time in 1992, finishing seventh with a 12–12 record and losing 2–0 in the quarter-finals to the Cockburn Cougars.[3] The 1993 season marked the Raiders' best ever season, as they finished third with a 17–7 record and defeated the Willetton Tigers 2–1 in the quarter-finals. They went on to lose 2–1 to the Wanneroo Wolves in the semi-finals.[3]
In 1992, a Raiders women's team entered the Women's SBL for the first time. In three seasons, the team had three wins and 57 losses.[5]
The Raiders men did not play finals again from 1994 onwards[3] and folded following the 1999 season due to financial constraints.[4] The club attempted to re-enter the SBL for the 2001 season but their application was unsuccessful, with the league stating that the Raiders were "not quite ready".[6]
In 2009 and 2011, a regular season SBL game was played at the Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre.[7][8] Over the next few years, attempts were made by Albany Basketball Association to submit bids and applications for a return of the Raiders to the SBL.[4][9][10][11] In 2025, a regular season NBL1 West game was played at the Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre.[12][13][14]
Season-by-season results
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