FIBA Basketball
GER - Changes to brighten Bundesliga
COLOGNE (BBL) - The German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) is to be increased to 18 teams from the 2006/07 season. The move comes two years after the league was increased from 14 to 16 teams and will bring it in line with other major European leagues
COLOGNE (BBL) - The German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) is to be increased to 18 teams from the 2006/07 season.
The move comes two years after the league was increased from 14 to 16 teams and will bring it in line with other major European leagues. As part of a new marketing strategy aimed at improving the game in Germany and its appeal to the spectators, BBL business manager Jan Pommer explained the measures.
"Given the fact this season has seen large economic increases, boosting the league makes sense," he said. "Furthermore, we expect more spectators and a greater media interest as a result."
The changes will be made in time for the start of the next campaign with five clubs given the opportunity of applying for the two extra places. The two teams relegated from the BBL to the second division will have the opportunity to apply while the top two in the second division along with a further club who can substantiate their applications on both sporting and economic grounds.
Furthermore, the second division of the game in Germany will be revolutionised. Details of the new second tier are yet to be decided, but a move towards a North-South regional split, as is the case in the third division of the German Football League, appears to be the favoured option.
Meanwhile, Pommer is in the process of implementing a new competition for German Under-19 talents. The Nachwuchs-Basketball-Bundesliga (NBBL), which starts this summer, could see up to 32 teams (four groups) playing for the German championship.
"The youth development is a very serious issue," Pommer told PA Sport. "We are facing an ambitious goal. From the 2009/2010 season on, four of twelve players on the game roster need to hold the German citizenship. The NBBL will help us to recruit those talents."
Junior teams, basketball boarding schools and playing syndicates can all join the competition, with Pommer and his staff currently reviewing the entrance candidates.
"I hope a lot of teams from the first and second division will join the NBBL with an own team," Pommer added. "But there could also be teams who might not be able to fund their own Bundesliga side but will now try their luck in the junior division. The development of young players is still something which pays off for clubs. It is a very authentic and professional project which shows how we value the juniors."
By Ben Gladwell and Johannes Berendt, PA Sport
Source Hanns-Peter Lützig
The move comes two years after the league was increased from 14 to 16 teams and will bring it in line with other major European leagues. As part of a new marketing strategy aimed at improving the game in Germany and its appeal to the spectators, BBL business manager Jan Pommer explained the measures.
"Given the fact this season has seen large economic increases, boosting the league makes sense," he said. "Furthermore, we expect more spectators and a greater media interest as a result."
The changes will be made in time for the start of the next campaign with five clubs given the opportunity of applying for the two extra places. The two teams relegated from the BBL to the second division will have the opportunity to apply while the top two in the second division along with a further club who can substantiate their applications on both sporting and economic grounds.
Furthermore, the second division of the game in Germany will be revolutionised. Details of the new second tier are yet to be decided, but a move towards a North-South regional split, as is the case in the third division of the German Football League, appears to be the favoured option.
Meanwhile, Pommer is in the process of implementing a new competition for German Under-19 talents. The Nachwuchs-Basketball-Bundesliga (NBBL), which starts this summer, could see up to 32 teams (four groups) playing for the German championship.
"The youth development is a very serious issue," Pommer told PA Sport. "We are facing an ambitious goal. From the 2009/2010 season on, four of twelve players on the game roster need to hold the German citizenship. The NBBL will help us to recruit those talents."
Junior teams, basketball boarding schools and playing syndicates can all join the competition, with Pommer and his staff currently reviewing the entrance candidates.
"I hope a lot of teams from the first and second division will join the NBBL with an own team," Pommer added. "But there could also be teams who might not be able to fund their own Bundesliga side but will now try their luck in the junior division. The development of young players is still something which pays off for clubs. It is a very authentic and professional project which shows how we value the juniors."
By Ben Gladwell and Johannes Berendt, PA Sport
Source Hanns-Peter Lützig