Bumper crowds steer Kings into new golden era

As the old saying goes, win and they will come.

Well, the Sydney Kings are winning and the fans are definitely coming.

Since taking out the NBL22 championship, the Kings have averaged 9,438 to their home games through the first 15 rounds of this campaign.

The most pleasing part is that they're only getting bigger too, with three straight matches of more than 11,500 people at Qudos Bank Arena.

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And if close to that figure turns up to the Hoops Capital double-header, which will see the Flames and Kings take on Tonwsville and Illawarra respectively, it will mark the first time the four-time NBL champions have broken the 10,000 average per game mark since the 1992 season.

One man who knows that era better than most is club legend, Tim Morrissey.

"To be able to attract those kinds of figures out at Homebush, game in, game out, is a huge credit to the current organisation," said Morrissey.

"We were lucky in the early days, as we were stationed right in the middle of Chinatown and going to a Kings game was a night out - which is showing that Sydney is fully embracing the club again which is great to see."

It's back! Your chance to win $10K at our double header.

Make sure you get there early to support the Flames for your chance to be selected to take a half-court shot during the Kings game to win $10,000!

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— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) January 13, 2023

Others who have been involved in the harbour city side this that era, where the Kings managed nine-straight games of more than 10,000 in 1992, are Derek Armstrong, Deb Bradley and Linda Oates - all now volunteers with the club.

"The early 90s had an electric atmosphere in the King Dome - tickets were often hard to secure especially against the Melbourne Tigers and it was loud when the Kings were on a roll," said Armstrong, who started attending Kings games regularly in 1990 before becoming a season-ticket holder in 1991 (which he's held since).

"The nickname ‘Cardiac Kids’ was given to the team and they often lived up to it, with Kings' fans left holding their breath and on the edge of their seats on a frequent basis with games going down to the last few seconds - sound a little familiar?

"Of course, there were many crowd favourites just a few being Leon Trimmingham, Dean Uthoff and Damian Keogh - each of these players and so many others had cult followings and their on-court heroics added further to the atmosphere."

PCYC REFLECTS ON LIFE-CHANGING INDIGENOUS ROUND EXPERIENCE

Armstrong explained other elements that added to the atmosphere were the Redlands Stage Band and the mascot, then the Court Jester, while game night competitions, such as weekly 'best-dressed' in a hope of being paraded on the hallowed court at half-time, added to a great 'night out'.

His sentiments were echoed by Oates, who has been a purple and gold fan since 1989, while also explaining how impressed she has been with the atmosphere of late at Qudos Bank Arena.

"It [Kings games in the early 90s] was exciting and one of the most sought-after tickets in town," she said.

"One of the reasons I became a season ticket holder in 1990 was that if you didn't buy your ticket for the next game at half-time or after the game it was sold out.

"The crowd numbers we are getting at the Qudos Bank Arena would be a sellout at the old Sydney Entertainment Centre, so anytime the third level is open, I love to see it, especially with the level of crowd involvement

"These huge crowds add to the atmosphere, especially with the level of game continuing to get better - I can't wait for the day when a sold-out sign is out front of Qudos Bank Arena."

WEBSTER TAKES REINS OF HOOPS CAPITAL ACADEMY

Another to have fond memories from that time was Bradley, who attended her first game in 1995.

"We were hooked straight away and kept getting tickets for the rest of the season, becoming season ticket holders from 1996 until the present," Bradley said.

"The atmosphere at the Sydney Entertainment Centre was electric, it was really loud and a great venue - honestly,  Kings tickets were one of the hottest tickets in town.

"[Fast forward to now and] the crowds we are getting are amazing and are loud - with Eric and Rob are doing a great job with the crowd and creating a great atmosphere."

Double Header Hoops ?

Join us at Qudos Bank Arena for our Double Header with the Sydney Flames when they take on Townsville Fire at 1:15pm followed by our final Freeway Series game with Illawarra Hawks.

Don't miss out on all the action ??https://t.co/Y8Zrqzt74g#WeTheKings pic.twitter.com/MLfkmGlfz2

— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) January 11, 2023

Fellow volunteer Armstrong was just as glowing with the product the Kings and the NBL are producing every time they step onto the court - leading to these massive crowds turning out to witness Sydney's new golden era of hoops.

"The NBL is going from strength to strength at present, this can so clearly be seen in the quality of imports so many teams have, none more so than the Kings over the past few seasons," he said.

"This together with the talent of Australian-born players recruited to the Kings line up has seen some huge crowds attending.

"Capacity at the Kingdome was about 10,500, and it has been great to see this number exceeded on frequent occasions recently.

"Those attending have been treated to seeing the mighty Kings demolishing the opposition's defence on a frequent basis with their fast-paced transitions and witnessed many spectacular blocks.

"The team has great depth and is jam-packed full of stars who play as a team, with countless highlights every game."

As a result, there is a constantly growing passionate fan base who create deafening noise levels that rival those created back in the early 90s, the atmosphere is once again electric creating a very intimidating atmosphere for our visiting opponents.

"There is no doubt basketball is well and truly back in Sydney - another golden era of basketball has begun," Armstrong said.

Tickets to the next game day at Qudos Bank Arena, which will be a Hoops Capital double-header, starting with the Flames' fixture against Townsville at 1.30pm AEDT before the Kings and Hawks showdown at 4pm, are still available here.