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BBL boss on the audience question: “Get the most out of it”

Stefan Holz – BBL managing director Stefan Holz. – © Photo: Nicolas Armer / dpa / Archive

When it comes to the number of spectators in the new season, the Basketball Bundesliga has decided not to give its 18 clubs a uniform line.

“No, we will not do that. Everyone should get the maximum out of there,” said BBL boss Stefan Holz of the German press agency. Before the season, which begins on Thursday with defending champion Alba Berlin’s game against Telekom Baskets Bonn, the clubs have different approaches to deal with the spectator question in Corona times.

Some clubs rely on the 2G rule, according to which only those who have been vaccinated and recovered are allowed into the halls. Other clubs, on the other hand, also want fans who can only prove a negative corona test to be able to access the games.

Big differences

There are also big differences between the federal states. While FC Bayern, for example, can plan with an almost full Audi Dome, other clubs have to be content with 50 percent occupancy. Oldenburg’s managing director Hermann Schüller had therefore recently spoken of a “clear competitive disadvantage” and demanded clarity in an open letter to Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD).

When planning their budget for the new season, the league asked the clubs to plan with 50 percent utilization. “We are therefore on the safe side in terms of licensing,” said Holz. For the BBL managing director it will “not be a sure-fire success” to lure the fans back into the halls. “Like other sports, we will have to fight for the audience,” said Holz.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210919-99-278599 / 3

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