By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The German League announced its decision to proceed to a season conclusion in the form of a tournament with 10 teams if health authorities allow action to resume later in May. ALBA Berlin Managing Director Marco Baldi spoke to Bild about the plan and went in-depth about the financial and planning details of the tournament.
“It doesn’t pay off economically, especially not in the short term. You keep the business running with its costs, there is no revenue. I can understand every club and league that has ended the season. But I think that even if you have so little room for maneuver, you should try to use it, develop energy and creativity to create new models. Who knows how long we have to deal with this extraordinary situation”, Baldi mentioned.
There are certain deadlines that the league has to follow as ALBA’s Managing Director notes, while the “green light” should be given by the German state by May 18.
“The season must end on June 30th. We need 14 days of game time, before that team training, if allowed, and 14 days of quarantine. By May 18, we would need the green light from the authorities. If they cannot give it, we have at least tried and it is clear that we are sticking to their guidelines”, he added.
Baldi also spoke about teams lacking their foreign players and the expenses of these logistics that have to be accessed by the German League.
“Siva, Sikma and Hermannsson are in their home countries. We have to see how we can manage logistics”, he said. “Most of the additional costs are borne by the BBL, but the BBL ultimately consists of the clubs. Profits and losses are shared”.