By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Russia and the VTB United League will have three teams in next season’s EuroLeague with Zenit St. Petersburg getting the wildcard, which was a result of a Spanish team, Valencia, winning the 7Days EuroCup.
Zenit under Spanish coach Joan Plaza finished fourth in the VTB United League and also qualified to the 7Days EuroCup Top16. However, what’s even more important is that creates a EuroLeague presence in one of the biggest cities in Europe, a crucial point in the final selection.
After this decision, the 18 clubs which will compete in the expanded version of next season’s EuroLeague are the following
EuroLeague 2019-20 clubs
ALBA Berlin (via easyCredit BBL)
Anadolu Efes
AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan
Crvena Zvezda mts (via ABA League)
CSKA Moscow
FC Barcelona Lassa
FC Bayern Munich (via two-year license)
Fenerbahce Beko
Khimki Moscow Region (via VTB United League)
KIROLBET Baskonia
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (via two-year license)
Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv
Olympiacos
Panathinaikos OPAP
Real Madrid
Valencia (via 7DAYS EuroCup)
Zalgiris Kaunas
Zenit St. Petersburg (via wildcard)
According to the EuroLeague press release: “The Euroleague Commercial Assets (ECA) Shareholders Executive Board, meeting on 27 June 2019 to review business and sports progress, agreed on proposals to be submitted to the upcoming ECA Shareholders Meeting, to be held on 11 July 2019 in Munich, Germany.
Euroleague Basketball executives opened the meeting with an overview of the results of the 2018-19 season with regards to fan base, audience, in-arena attendance, and generated revenues, which again shows remarkable growth, continuing the trend that the competitions have experienced over recent seasons.
The clubs present also heard about the latest developments in the EuroLeague Business Operations and Club Services (EL BOCS) unit, which finished its second year in operation. EL BOCS has become a key tool for adopting a greater club business culture, boosting collective and individual off-the-court performance, and becoming a central forum for clubs to voice their opinions and experiences through transparent sharing of information between all clubs and the league. Attendees heard about the new initiatives being deployed, including plans to improve the customer experience in every EuroLeague arena, and a brand new league fund made available to clubs to help adapt their structures to better face today’s challenges and grow future opportunities.
Additionally, Executive Board members also:
- Examined the latest developments in the conversations with the EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA), the EuroLeague Head Coaches Board (ELHCB), and the Union of Euroleague Basketball Officials (UEBO) towards the goal of agreeing on respective collective bargaining agreements.
- Discussed new Financial Stability & Fair Play Regulations (FSFPR) aimed at strengthening transparency and further promoting sustainable business practices by increasing the sanction structure while progressively further reducing allowed off-market financing.
- Reviewed the 2018-19 economic closing figures and 2019-20 projections and economic distribution criteria, including a 16% growth in the club distribution pool.
- Reviewed and discussed new proposed By-Laws regulations.
- Agreed on modifications to the 2019-20 games rules as proposed by the EB Advisory Council, namely:
- Jump ball to be reinstated, replacing alternating possessions.
- 24 seconds and center line ball inbound awarded in the event that one of the two jump ball players commits a violation during the jump ball to start the first quarter or an overtime, as opposed to the current 14 seconds and front court ball inbound.
- Coach, bench and player technical fouls not to be counted as team fouls.
- Game clock to be reset to the original change of possession, with the amount of time on the game and shot clock set then, and the ball inbounded where the change of possession took place, in the event that referees stop the game to correct the game clock.
The impact of the rule changes will be analyzed and the data shared with FIBA to support them in the improvement of the global rules of the game”.