By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
Basketball Champions League CEO Patrick Comninos took the stage on Saturday’s media round table ahead of the big final between AEK Athens and San Pablo Burgos Sunday.
Comninos spoke about his impressions about the Final Eight so far, the competition’s plan B in the COVID-19 era, fan engagement on this and other BCL events and of course, the financial stability and guarantees clubs can expect during these tough times.
“We do hope that on Monday morning when the event is over to we would be in a position to still be talking about a unique, exceptional event, but for all the right reasons linked to the event, to the organization, and to the delivery. So far I can say the feedback that I received has been great. Our own overall satisfaction or our impression is linked to what we receive from our stakeholders. So far I have received great feedback. We approach it with great pleasure but we still have two games to go”, he said.
Comninos highlighted BCL’s change of the regular season format was a necessary procedure in order not only to begin the season but to ultimately be able to conclude it without interruptions.
“The BCL had a plan B which was executed last week. Of course when the season started, when we had our draw back in July we were aware of the situation, we were monitoring everything close. Like every organization so did the BCL, we had a plan B which we put in place last week when we announced we would be changing the format of the competition, moving from the traditional model of the regular season. We now have a level of flexibility and a little breathing space. It’s not about starting the season, it’s about concluding the season. The key for us is to provide the necessary guarantees to our clubs, to our stakeholders, our partners, that we have put something in place that allows us to be optimistic. We fell that we have taken at least one step in answering the question about concluding the season”, Comninos stated.
The clubs’ reaction to this change of format came without objections as Comninos said, since they all are well aware of the difficulties the pandemic imposes in regards to the execution of the games.
“We spoke to all 32 clubs in anticipation of the change, this is a competition that values the view of the clubs. Some clubs that had to organize international events are even more aware of the difficulties. All the clubs are living in the real world, they understand the difficulties. They realize traveling and organizing games is not going to be simple. They are fully aware such a change was essential and they were all appreciative of it”.
With major clubs around Europe suffering significant financial damage due to the pandemic, Comninos mentions that BCL’s financial planning has not strayed one bit from its original planning, aiming to provide support and motivation to the participants of the competition.
“Although everyone accepts that COVID-19 has had a significant effect on all organizations around the world, for us maintaining the current conditions has been essential. Continuing and awarding the champion as of Sunday night, not just the trophy but also the prize money, this is in line with our commitment to support the clubs financially. We have not deviated one euro from our original promises and – in today’s world – that’s almost an increase. The clubs will be receiving the same amounts of money. They need to feel that playing a European competition shouldn’t be a burden, but a plus. I remain astonished by the fact that so many clubs in Europe continue to lose significant amounts of money. This makes no commercial sense and it’s not a viable business model. It’s a warning that the business structure in European basketball requires reassessment, that’s very clear”.
The BCL CEO then noted the importance of featuring 32 clubs from 18 different leagues across Europe, as a means to grow the competition even more in the coming year. This, of course, goes hand in hand with greater fan engagement, as Comninos noted.
“When we talk about fan approval, the numbers speak for themselves. Since we had started planning the season it has been very promising. The reaction of the fans was positive. It has given fans a very clear message about BCL’s mission to continue to grow and represent as many clubs in Europe as possible. This season we have a record of 18 different leagues being represented in BCL, a record that has not been seen in Europe in a long time”, he added.