Polish CSKA Moscow and back to the playoffs. What will the United League be in the new season? – Basketball News – Basketball

A meeting of the VTB United League Council was held in Moscow on Friday, following which the contours of the tournament were determined during the coming season. Key decisions were taken two – on the league's expansion to 14 teams and on the return to the playoffs after the "Final Four" experience.

After the only full championship, four "in the capital, the United League returns to the usual and proven option for years.The quarter-finals, semifinals and finals will be played in a series format with three wins.And if there is a year for the preservation of playoffs only four out of the 13 clubs played, now only Nizhny Novgorod was a supporter of the definition of champion in the new option According to the Honorary Chairman of the United League, Sergei Ivanov, the main reasons for this measure are two

– This year, as you know, we played the "Final Four" because we had no place to go for World Cup, "he told reporters. – If we held crucial games during, we do not need to explain what would have happened. And the second – with the organization of the "Final Four" in the neutral arena, all expenses fall on the league, which has turned out to be a very expensive pleasure. In our conditions, this does not work, and the audience in some decisive stage games was much less than on the "Match of the Stars". It is not even that we were in the red – we spent a lot of money, which otherwise could send to the clubs in the form of bonuses, prizes, and so on.

In addition to this, the clubs decided to return to the two games will be held on the team's website, which took a more prominent place in the championship "smooth". But it will be an important nuance – the league has decided to fight with practice, in which clubs can pre-select their opponents in knockout games. Now there is no grid for the playoffs and in the semi-finals the strongest team at the end of the "regular season" falls back on the most low

– So we increase the attractiveness of the regular championship. ] someone plays through his sleeves, and then rallies for the playoffs, – Ivanov said. – That's it, you can do it, but you will have to play with the loudest until the end.

Two previous seasons The United League consisted of 13 teams, which caused some inconvenience. compilation of a comfortable and understandable calendar for all. Therefore, it was known in advance that the league will be expanded to 14 clubs. The candidates were two, and both are well known basketball fans – it's the strongest team in Poland in recent years, "Zelena Gura" and Vladivostok "Spartak-Primorye". The Poles were considered favorites, and not without reason.

– You know we used to play at the Polish club "Prokom" before, and now Zelena Gura has launched a call to take her to league. "- This is a champion multiple of the country, which once spoke to the Euroleague "Zelena Gura" for Poland – pretty much like our CSKA.And no questions about the budget, the arena, the transport to it does not it was not asked, the request was adopted unanimously.The condition of the participation of the club in its national championship is also respected.

As for "Spartacus-Primorye", with him this n & rsquo; Was not so smooth.According to the leadership of the league, the Far East club, for example, was not able to confirm the budget for the season.He also had some problems with the place of the games.

– They promised us that they had money, and the club is ready to play at the hockey arena in Vladivostok, "said Iva nov. – The choice is strategically correct, but this stadium has never hosted basketball matches and it does not have the necessary equipment. And most importantly, there is no written guarantee of the budget. In addition, the league clubs of two calendar variants proposed by him have chosen a more compact club, according to which the championship should be completed by mid-June.

Another interesting news, which has been informed to the public by the leaders of the United League – it is entering a new market. In the coming season, the league matches can be seen not only in European countries, for example, Greece and Serbia, but also in North America. According to Ilona Korstin, the general manager of the league, they will be shown on the popular portal Bleacher Report on a par with NBA games

– so they will look at players who may be invited to play in America, – believes the head of the United League, Sergey Kushchenko. Scouts can watch young basketball players playing in the VTB United League.

And as Ivanov has said, paid gaming games in Europe bring a noticeable income to the league. In addition, the organization intends to monitor the performance of teams with fans more strictly.

– We have a prize for participation – from last season, the league has all the data on the number of tickets sold for each match. "And when we started badyzing the data, I was horrified, because I saw that some clubs, showing high traffic, were selling up to 30% seats, and giving free invitations. to others, so we will not give a price to those who actually sell tickets, and clubs have been explicitly informed about this.