Another chapter in Western Australia’s unforgettable off-court calendar year of basketball has begun.
Another chapter in Western Australia’s unforgettable off-court calendar year of basketball has begun.
Former Perth Wildcats owner Craig Hutchison, who heads up media entity Sports Entertainment Group, has taken a majority stake in the Perth Lynx’s licence, by way of its subsidiary company, SEN Teams, which oversees the group’s various sporting organisational interests.
This transaction caps off a unique series of events.
In June, husband and wife pairing Christian Hauff and Jodi Millhahn were announced as new owners of the Women’s National Basketball League club, taking over the Lynx’s licence from state governing body, Basketball WA.
Despite this, Business News understands SEN Teams assisted with management and commercial elements of the business.
In a written statement, Mr Hauff and Ms Millhahn said SEN Teams’ majority stake in the Lynx would help ensure “long-term prosperity and implementation of a growth strategy for the club”.
“We are extremely excited and passionate about the Lynx potential both on and off the court,” they said.
“Aligning with SEN will help us accelerate that growth through their extensive resources, relationships and sports team expertise.”
Both Mr Hauff and Ms Millhahn will co-chair the Lynx’s board of directors and retain a stake in the club.
Presently, the Lynx sit in second position on the WNBL table, with a 6-3 record, despite having dropped consecutive games. They’ve qualified for two grand finals over the past three seasons, but lost the series both times.
The other WNBL team owned by SEN Teams, Bendigo Spirit, sit top with eight wins from as many outings.
Earlier this year, SEG agreed to sell the Perth Wildcats to tech entrepreneur Mark Arena for $40 million, after paying $8.5 million for the club from the late Jack Bendat in 2021.
During his appearance at a Business News Success and Leadership breakfast last month at Crown Perth, Mr Arena told the room he was keen for both the Wildcats and Lynx to one day return underneath the same ownership umbrella.
The Wildcats owner also said that if and when a new purpose-built basketball facility was constructed for the club, the Lynx players and officials would be able to utilise the facility.
SEN Teams has also retained a stake in the Wildcats, following the transition of ownership.
