By Antonis Stroggylakis / info@eurohoops.net
Amid an ongoing uncertainty regarding when basketball arenas will be open for fans again during the coronavirus crisis, Maccabi Tel Aviv is preparing some refund plans for the 2020-2021 season-ticket buyers.
According to a report by Walla, Maccabi will be offering two options for season-ticket holders in case of a game being canceled or played behind closed doors: A) 80% refund for every ticket that is canceled and, B) a settlement for 50% refund and a priority for the next available match in case of limited attendance.
If there will be a restricted number of fans, then 300 seats will be allocated for club needs. The next 1,200 seats will be provided to sponsors and the next 1,300 seats to the season-ticket holders that choose option B). Those who picked the 80% option will come afterward.
The Israeli powerhouse is quite dependent on ticket (single game, or season) sales since they provide the source of at least half of their budget. According to Eurohoops sources, the sum of the ticket revenues is around 10 million euros.
“We are examining a number of scenarios to tackle with the challenging and complex situation Maccabi has encountered, and in fact, the entire sports industry in Israel,” Maccabi commented to Walla. Over the past weeks, Israel has been facing a spike in coronavirus cases, forcing the government to impose new restrictions on social events such as weddings and mitzvahs. The overall number of cases in Israel has reached 25,547 (320 casualties, 17, 389 recoveries).