A Euroleague spot for BBL is in the works?

[Marius123]

Nothing official, just an interview from a Managing Director of BBL, Mr. Mindaugas Balčiūnas, who attended, together with other BBL representatives, the recent ULEB Euroleague General Assembly in Barcelona.

After the general meeting, there was a meeting between ULEB and BBL chiefs. The things that M.Balčiūnas said in his interview:

- ULEB seriously considers BBL as a potential Euroleague spot-holder, if the expansion of the Euroleague takes place.

- According to the "present plans", the BBL champion of 2007-2008 would get a place in the Euroleague. In case Žalgiris wins BBL, the second-place holder would get the berth.

- "A place in the Euroleague was always a priority since the inception of the league, but we never hoped for such a quick result".

- If talk comes to action, there will probably be a need to change the competition format. First of all - introduce a decisive finals series instead of a one-game final.

[LuDux]

Same with Adriatic league
eurobasket.com:
The Euroleague Basketball Assembly, meeting on Friday in Barcelona, has approved the pursuit of expansion plans, targeted for the 2007-08 season in both the Euroleague and the ULEB Cup. According to the ABA president Radovan Lorbek there is a big chance that the Adriatic League’s champion may also get a place in the Euroleague already for 2007-08 season.

[Joško Poljak Fan]

That makes the league much more serious right now... after 2009/10 when 10.000 capacity arena will be envoked that aditional euroleague spot becomes more or less a farse, same as in adriatic league where that means Partizan and Zvezda got a lifetime euroleague guarantee...
anyway if euroleague would consist of 32 teams that plan would work out even with qualification tournaments since with Russia gaining 2 spots, Belgium 1, Ucraine (I guess) 1, AL and BBL 1 each, it still leaves out 2 teams which I don't think any already participating country actually deserves to get.

[ziv]

i don't think they will give it directly to the leagues - they are speaking of dynamic cards, it sounds to me like qualification games. i would also consider some new countries reciving cards (my first candidates would be belgium and the uk - well not mine, i think these are uleb's candidates).
as for the capacity limitation - i'd reccon it would be a bit more flexable than matiz thinks. nothing to rellay on though - just a hunch.

[Joško Poljak Fan]

as for the capacity limitation - i'd reccon it would be a bit more flexable than matiz thinks. nothing to rellay on though - just a hunch.

I know a bit more flexible rules regarding capacity would make more sense right now. Like for example 8000 capacity at least for the period of the next few years.
But as you said it's nothing to relay on, and observing teams that need such infrastructure noone is relaying on it and Uleb didn't give them any indication they'd loosen up their demands eventhough imo Uleb will actually allow a short period of playing in smaller capacity arena's to some teams, while in that time they'll have to build up apropriate facilities... I don't think Uleb would be that nice to newcomers.
and 10.000 seated arena would eventually be demanded sooner or later, I don't think Uleb will stop at 7000-8000...

i don't think they will give it directly to the leagues - they are speaking of dynamic cards, it sounds to me like qualification games.

as far as I've read in our media (could be just a pure journalists guess though) qualifications are supposed to be established for Uleb Cup and not euroleague, which is a buit surprising since I think qualifications (as in Uefa) would be great for euroleague... especially if Uleb (and noone else) wants UK representative in euroleague

[Billy]

Agrees!

I know a bit more flexible rules regarding capacity would make more sense right now. Like for example 8000 capacity at least for the period of the next few years.
But as you said it's nothing to relay on, and observing teams that need such infrastructure noone is relaying on it and Uleb didn't give them any indication they'd loosen up their demands eventhough imo Uleb will actually allow a short period of playing in smaller capacity arena's to some teams, while in that time they'll have to build up apropriate facilities... I don't think Uleb would be that nice to newcomers.
and 10.000 seated arena would eventually be demanded sooner or later, I don't think Uleb will stop at 7000-8000...


as far as I've read in our media (could be just a pure journalists guess though) qualifications are supposed to be established for Uleb Cup and not euroleague, which is a buit surprising since I think qualifications (as in Uefa) would be great for euroleague... especially if Uleb (and noone else) wants UK representative in euroleague

I think the spectator capacity requirement is flawed as it does not in any way really indicate how many spectators you have on any given night.
I remember watching Dynamo Moscow, a team I believe on a competitive level is very "Euroleague", but who does not really have the spectator pool to fill up a 10k arena. Can you imagine what it would look like with Dynamo in a 10.000 seater stadium?

as far as I've read in our media (could be just a pure journalists guess though) qualifications are supposed to be established for Uleb Cup and not euroleague, which is a buit surprising since I think qualifications (as in Uefa) would be great for euroleague... especially if Uleb (and noone else) wants UK representative in euroleague.

I think qualifications for both tournament would be beneficial for the longterm success but ULEBs tournaments was not founded to achieve that but, imho, to guarantee a given income for the founding clubs.

[Joško Poljak Fan]

I think the spectator capacity requirement is flawed as it does not in any way really indicate how many spectators you have on any given night.

I think it does... at least it forces the club to search for promotion and other ways for how to use that capacity, to at least try to act as a company. And in fact the way attendance is increasing over the past few years is also due to euroleague's 5000 seated arena rule, and in the long term it should happen with 10.000 arena's as well.

I remember watching Dynamo Moscow, a team I believe on a competitive level is very "Euroleague", but who does not really have the spectator pool to fill up a 10k arena. Can you imagine what it would look like with Dynamo in a 10.000 seater stadium?

Yes I can imagine- horrible. But if they're unable to fill a 10.000 seated arena in a city with 10 million population like Moscow that's solely their trouble (while Tau for example averages attendance of 9000 in a 50-times smaller town)... and their management than deserves to be fired due to incompetence imho.

sorry for the offtopic guys, lately happens often to me, I know

[Billy]

I think it does... at least it forces the club to search for promotion and other ways for how to use that capacity, to at least try to act as a company. And in fact the way attendance is increasing over the past few years is also due to euroleague's 5000 seated arena rule, and in the long term it should happen with 10.000 arena's as well.


Yes I can imagine- horrible. But if they're unable to fill a 10.000 seated arena in a city with 10 million population like Moscow that's solely their trouble (while Tau for example averages attendance of 9000 in a 50-times smaller town)... and their management than deserves to be fired due to incompetence imho.

sorry for the offtopic guys, lately happens often to me, I know

How many teams in the Baltic League has a 10.000 arena or one in the pipeline?

[Joško Poljak Fan]

Siemens arena, Kaunas will mostlikely get one, Saku Suurhall in Estonia and Riga arena in Latvia... and I think I know what you were trying to say, I think uleb management doesn't really care about that.

[Billy]

Siemens arena, Kaunas will mostlikely get one, Saku Suurhall in Estonia and Riga arena in Latvia... and I think I know what you were trying to say, I think uleb management doesn't really care about that.

You understood me quite well and I think you are right, furthermore I think that goes to show where ULEB has its priorities.

[pablonis]

Siemens arena, Kaunas will mostlikely get one, Saku Suurhall in Estonia and Riga arena in Latvia... and I think I know what you were trying to say, I think uleb management doesn't really care about that.

Saku Suurhall in Tallinn is no more than 8000 seats, so they would need to do some rebuilding
________
GinaLynn cam

[Joško Poljak Fan]

my bad... i was checking wikipedia few days back and there it says it has 10.000 capacity. Shouldn't depend on them though...

[rusher]

LR, Barons/LU, ASK Riga (because they both will play in Arena Riga) and Žalgiris have or soon will have 10 000+ seat Arena and if Saku Suurhall is rebuilded Kalev could have it too. I think for Riga is the best option to keep both teams in Arena Riga cause I don't see a need for another 11 000 Arena for Riga. Sharing one Arena both teams could set up real rivalry in the next years.
ASK/Riga has a tiny dream about the Euroleague (of course not in the next 4-5 years). I think they want to try to go step by step to increase their budget but seems that they are not competent and birocracy of their owners (Riga city, ministry of defense+ smaller companies) does not help. Barons/LU has not these kind of dreams but it also speaks about increasing the budget and their sponsors are much flexible than ASK's politicians. I think this season it will be 1:0 for Barons in the fight for new fans.

And I don't see 10 000 option for other teams because Siauliai, Ventspils or Tartu would find it hard to fill 5000 seat Arena even in the case of some majour event.