New SEA basketball league
New basketball league for South-east Asia
KUALA LUMPUR - SOUTH-east Asia on Monday launched an ambitious professional basketball league - to begin in September - aimed at boosting the popularity and standards of the game in the region.
The Asean Basketball League is backed by regional tycoons including AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes and Indonesian media mogul Erick Thoir, who have contributed US$5 million (S$7.5 million) in total between them.
Organisers said that basketball is the second most popular team sport behind football among the 600 million population of South-east Asia. At least eight teams are expected to play in the inaugural league.
Mr Patrick Baumann, secretary-general of the International Basketball Federation (Fiba), said Asia was ready for a professional league but warned organisers will have to ensure it doesn't fade away after a few years.
'The time is right but it is not going to be simple to sustain the league,' he told reporters at the launch of the ABL.
Mr Baumann said the league would need top-notch management and that the participating teams would have to be of a high standard to woo fans.
'There has to be good entertainment. The clubs need to be managed professionally and well funded. You cannot have the league for one or two years and then stop,' he said.
Mr Fernandes downplayed fears that the ABL may not succeed and said it could one day join the popular ranks of the NBA in the United States.
'Yes, there will be a lot of obstacles and road blocks. But no mountain will stop us,' he said.
'During an economic downturn like now, this new league will create jobs.
Can you imagine 5,000 people during this slowdown flying to Manila to watch a game?' Mr Fernandes said of the possible wider economic benefits of the league.
In terms of national rankings among the 10-member Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean), the Philippines tops the table in basketball followed by Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
Mr Fernandes said the league will sow the seeds for new talent and boost the sport in the region, adding that foreign professional players will play the circuit.
'The aim is to develop local talent. Foreign players from outside Asean will be role models. Maybe one day our players will play in the NBA,' he said.
Fiba president Bob Elphinston said the league will be organised by the South-east Asian Basketball Association (Seaba), the governing body for basketball in the region.
Each of the 10 South-east Asian nations is allowed a maximum of two privately owned teams in the league. Prize money has not been finalised yet.
Asean comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. -- AFP Courtesy of StraitsTimes
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