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After a successful fifth season, the Basketball Africa League (BAL) returns, and the sixth season will tip off at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria on the 27th of next month.
BAL Africa President Amadou Gallo Fall says it was a no-brainer that they would return to SA this year, following successful tournaments held in the country over the past few years.
The BAL sixth season will culminate with finals at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, playing on the 31st of May. Fall says SA has proven that it’s a serious, growing market for BAL...
"Returning to South Africa, Rwanda, and Morocco, speaks to the growing sporting cultures in these countries, and we want to deepen our presence and engagement for the third year in a row, we will be playing in South Africa."
This year, the BAL will be focused on three conferences in Pretoria, Kigali and Rabat in Morocco, with 12 teams from 12 African countries playing 42 games up to the final.
Fall says the new format is all about looking at the bigger picture.
"Regarding the format changes, the goal is to really perfect the model and to expand the footprint. I think these three conferences is going to give us another opportunity to deepen our engagement in countries like South Africa."
With the organisation of basketball in South Africa in tatters, it’s still not clear on which team will represent the country at this year’s BAL and also what role the embattled Basketball South Africa (BSA) is playing in all of this.
Fall says their bigger picture includes having more permanent teams in areas like Morocco and SA.
With the growth of the BAL on the continent, Fall has also responded to calls to introduce a women’s tournament version on the continent...
"We remain super committed to growing the game of basketball across genders. All of our youth programs include boys and girls, and we'll continue to work at grassroots level and be active in the space by offering playing opportunities for these young ladies."
