'Can't burn first impression': Sager's broadcasts vision for WNBL

• A new consortium of the Wollemi Group Syndicate (WCGS) and the NBL have taken over the WNBL from Basketball Australia
• Jennie Sager joins the WNBL as CEO from Nextdoor, where she was the Global Head of Brand and Consumer Marketing
• The WNBL and ABPA recently announced a new four-year CBA deal, which will see minimum wages increase by 104%

WNBL CEO Jennie Sager has got straight to work in her new role as the Wollemi Capital Group Syndicate (WCGS) and the NBL have officially taken over majority ownership of the league.

With clear areas of improvement for the WNBL, Sager takes charge of a league that has clear untapped potential and she’s excited for what’s possible.

“To have the opportunity to kind of relaunch a sporting league is such a unique moment anywhere in the world, but to be able to do it here in Australia with a league that has such rich history; 45 years of incredible accomplishments and Olympic medals, and just incredible athletes,” she told basketball.com.au.

“We have this opportunity to build off of that history and that legacy and really just take it to a new level. That is super exciting.”

Sager joins the WNBL with a wealth of experience, knowledge and passion for sport. She has worked across the globe in entertainment, media, and technology, including with world-renowned organisations including Nine Entertainment, Viacom/MTV, Twitter, and Nextdoor.

“Sport has always played a huge part in my life,” she said.

“I've always played basketball since I was eight-years-old and played through college in the US, and I'm just in general a huge sports fan.

“When I started my career, sport has always played a part in that, whether that was working in broadcast television or social media and just business in general, so it was really just the perfect combination of my own personal passions with my professional experience.”

With Sager’s background in in production and broadcasting, there’s genuine reason to be excited about the improvements that will be made in that department. WNBL fans have long suffered through watching below par broadcasting of games with shot clocks and game clocks rarely working, among a myriad of other issues.

Sager talked about the need for the league to make a great first impression through the broadcast.

“Before I even actually started in this role, there were people saying in the media, ‘I can't wait until she starts because I want to talk to her about the broadcast’, so I know that this has been a pain point for clubs, players and fans in general,” she said.

“When I was watching just as a fan, I had a laundry list of things that I was like, ‘oh wow, we really need to fix that’, so it absolutely is a focus area for us for this first season.

“We really need to lift that production and that broadcast level because it's the first impression that people get of the game.

"We can't burn that first impression and so we have to make it look good, we have to do the best that we possibly can so that we show them the league itself and how it reflects the quality of the game.”

The quality of the WNBL is under no doubt, with Opals’ spread across the league, while young up-and-coming local talent is just as exciting with fans getting a firsthand look at the development of that next generation of Opal hopefuls.

Retaining Australian talent and creating a connection between the fans and players is seen as keys for the league going forward.

“We are building this future generation of athletes for Australia and so the more that we can keep them playing at home, the better and I think that's about increasing the opportunities for them here at home, so that is really important to us,” Sager said.

“We have to build that connection with the fans and the players. We have this high quality of athletes, with elite level of skill, but people out on the street most often can't name the players, they don't know the teams, they don't know anything about that player on and off the court, so we really need to just show them who these athletes are and build that emotional connection because that's how you keep people coming back.”

With so much work to do, Sager is under no illusions of the work ahead of herself, WCGS and the NBL. Whilst some changes will take time, she hopes fans will see immediate improvements in many aspects.

“The game day experience when you're there in person, I think we have an opportunity to build off of some of the great work that's already been happening and the great experience some of the clubs are delivering,” she said.

“Also, how that translates into just the game itself, but again the broadcast, like what does that look like to people when they're watching at home? You'll definitely see some changes (next season).

“I'm not sure we can accomplish everything we want to do in the very first year, but we certainly have a long list of things we want to dive into.”

One major step already taken that truly demonstrates the new ownership’s commitment to the WNBL and its players was the announcement of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) agreed upon by the league and the Australian Basketball Players’ Association (ABPA).

What has in the past been a year-to-year deal, which means players have next to no stability, the new CBA is a four-year agreement which will see player wages increase by 104% by the 2028/29 season.

“The CBA will be moving now to four years instead of yearly, which I think is a really big win for everyone,” she said.

“We're really excited to be able to offer athletes a bit more security and let them really focus on the game itself and what it takes to succeed in the game.”

With new hope and excitement surrounding the WNBL, season 2025-26 shapes as being a monumental moment for basketball in Australia.

About the Author

Hayley Wildes is passionate about all things Australian women’s basketball and loves to highlight the stories of players from all levels and competitions across the globe. From our own backyard in the WNBL, to the WNBA and the Opals, and everything in between, Hayley has you covered.