Basketball: Wellington has the taste of basketball and league at the high level

Wellington could be the home to teams in Australia's national basketball and league competitions within five years.

The Wellington Saints are launching a feasibility study into the prospect of following the New Zealand Breakers into the Australian National Basketball League.

The news came as the New Zealand Rugby League said it would enter negotiations with a Belgium-based English billionaire interested in backing a second team in the NRL, most likely in Wellington.

Saints' long-time chief executive Nick Mills has been asked by club part-owner Michael Ogilvie-Lee to investigate whether the ANBL was receptive to a second New Zealand team - and the costs of setting up such a team.

"Wellington needs an international sports team coming out of it," Mills said.

"There has been talk of an NRL team being based here and of the Kingz coming here, now it's basketball."

The Breakers' successful start to their ANBL campaign - they beat the Adelaide 36ers in their maiden league match on Wednesday - proved New Zealand players could compete.

"We for years thought the Aussie league was too good, but now the gap has definitely closed.

"You put the Saints team of this year with a couple of imports and a couple of Aussie players, and we would be competitive."

Mills said the Saints had established a profile in Australia after competing in their pre-season national league tournament throughout the 1980s.

Wellington had approached the ANBL during that time about entering the league, but had been "laughed out the back door."

ANBL spokesman Mark Schroder welcomed the proposed study, but said much would depend on the Breakers' financial success.

"At this stage it is early days for the Breakers. We would want to see how they go financially to make sure there is vindication for a second [New Zealand] team."

Schroder said the ANBL was not looking at expansion, but was open to "strong business cases".

He believed there was enough playing talent in New Zealand to support a second team.

Breakers chief executive Michael Redman, however, was adamant there was a clause in their contract to prevent another New Zealand team from entering the ANBL for the next five years.

"We want time to establish our business and our brand. The model has yet to be proven in New Zealand ... it's fantastic that somebody else has the bug, but it would be foolhardy to jump in so quickly."

Redman said the Breakers considered Wellington and Christchurch as bases, but economic realities had convinced them Auckland was the only centre they could survive.

NZRL director Andrew Chalmers said he expected negotiations to start with the management of Wellington's Westpac Stadium within the next month on it being the base for an NRL team.

Preliminary discussions were already under way with potential major sponsors.

"It isn't the intention of the NZRL to own an NRL franchise, just to continue the drive to push the need for a second one," Chalmers said on the NZRL website.

Warriors owner Eric Watson is also understood to be interested in owning a second franchise if one became available.

* Former Sydney Kings star Shane Heal is convinced his old team can make it back-to-back Australian NBL titles after watching them destroy Perth 114-95 in their season opener.

- NZPA