25
03/11
NBA basketball looks to net more UK fans
The Nets’ Brooklyn stadium is expected to open in 2012 “We will open with some concerts and be ready for [NBA] season 2012/013.”
But besides music and basketball – it also sees the stadium as “as a place for companies, national and international, to launch their brands” – in other words an opportunity to sell sponsorship deals.
“We are looking to fill some key categories – automobile, airline, and insurance,” says Mr Yormark.
‘Renaissance’ Despite the economic downturn and the delay to the new stadium, existing business partners, have remained loyal says My Yormark who as part of the partnership with Barclays has been to the bank’s Canary Wharf headquarters to give staff an update on stadium progress.
Mr Yormark first made his name in Nascar stock car racing The Brooklyn move is intended to improve and increase revenue streams for the Nets, who have been reported as making a loss for a number of years, as well as putting the team at the heart of a huge potential New York supporter base.
The stadium will have a variety of executive boxes, including top-priced ones next to the changing room area and providing courtside seats, as well as more modestly priced smaller boxes.
“There is a renaissance happening in Brooklyn and we are going to be part of that – in New Jersey we were in survival mode, and we hope our fans there can stick with us, but this move puts us in touch with a population of more than two million people in Brooklyn.”
‘Competition’ At present the Nets are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference – Atlantic division, but it is one of the aims of the sport to have a more competitive set-up.
Continue reading the main story
New Jersey Nets – Barclays Center
- Will bring pro sport back to Brooklyn for first time since 1957
- Will host more than 200 events annually
- NBA games, concerts, boxing, tennis, college sport and family shows to be hosted
- Capacity of 18,500 for basketball, and 19,000 for concerts
- 104 executive boxes
- Nine subway lines and Long Island Railroad come to base of the stadium
“One of our goals is to create more competition among all 30 teams in the NBA,” says Adam Silver, NBA deputy commissioner.
Like Mr Yormark, Mr Silver is in London for the two full-season games, the first time regular mid-season games have been played outside the north America, and which he calls “an experiment”.
As part of its UK mission the NBA has agreed to play a series of games in Manchester next year.
Team USA, made up of some of the NBA’s top stars, will take part in a warm-up match in 2012 ahead of the defence of their Olympic title.
“We are continuing to look to grow the sport in the UK, particularly among the young, as it’s shown that if they play in their youth they are so much more likely to to be a fan when they grow up,” he says.
As such, Mr Silver admits that the London games are about both sport and business, with the success of the latter hopefully building on the former.
At the same time it gives the NBA a chance to see how long it takes players to recover – considering factors such as travel and time and geographic differences – after playing a regular-season game outside their regular environment.
Collective bargaining The NBA would also like to see Team GB take part in the 2012 Olympic games, and perhaps further down the line perhaps create a UK or European franchise “as part of our long-term aims”.
Mr Silver says there have to be changes so NBA clubs balance their books However, back home in the US there are challenges facing the NBA, with the current collective bargaining arrangement (CBA) coming to an this season, and loss-making club owners looking to cut the amount of money going to players.
“We believe that the current system is out of balance and that the players are taking too much out of the game,” he says.
“We can change this into a business that balances its books or even makes money.”
Meanwhile Mr Silver is in no doubt about the value of the two landmark games at the O2 on Friday and Saturday.
“These London games are hugely important because they are the next step of the evolution of NBA basketball outside the US,” he says.
“We are demonstrating to fans here our commitment to grow the game in the UK and Europe, and around the world.”