Inaugural Tasmania JackJumpers chief executive officer Simon Brookhouse is stepping down as the NBL franchise prepares to head to the market in search of new ownership.
JackJumpers and NBL owner Larry Kestelman said Brookhouse and the club had parted ways by mutual agreement.
“Like in every relationship it is never one-sided. I don’t know what percentages I want to put on ‘who and how’,” Kestelman said on Thursday.
“We’ve had chats over the last few months about what new ownership will look like, what the transition of the club looks like.”
Brookhouse, the first person employed by the JackJumpers in August 2020, said the time was right for a new challenge.
“Leading this club has been one of the highlights of my career. I am so proud to have been part of forming the strong foundations across the organisation,” he said.
Tasmania stunned many by making the grand final series in their first season and made it to the semi-finals in their second competition.
Kestelman said he hoped to begin the sale process in the next few weeks and he had fielded “a lot of interest” from Australia and overseas.
He said the first conversations would be held with potential Tasmanian buyers in the hope the club could be completely, or part owned, by the island state.
There is a licence agreement stipulating the club has to have at least 30 per cent Australian ownership.
Kestelman said he was open to part of the JackJumpers being owned by fans.
“It’ll be a very unusual situation of selling a sporting franchise that after two years will be sold as a profitable venture and one that is strong both on and off the court,” he said.
Brookhouse was scrutinised in parliament last year by the state’s political opposition who accused him of having a conflict of interest with former Tasmanian sports minister Jane Howlett in relation to funding for the team provided by the government.
Brookhouse and the state Liberal government both denied the accusations.
The roles and responsibilities of CEO will be managed in the short term by executives Christine Finnegan and Jorrick Chivers.
