Ten months of play featuring two conferences under a semi-bubble set-up is what the PBA plans to stage for its 46th season targeted to open next month.
That is among the many plans the league has in mind which they shared Tuesday following the conclusion of the Board of Governors’ two-day planning session held at the league’s office in Libis, Quezon City.
“We are looking forward to ten months of season in Season 46,” PBA Chairman Ricky Vargas said in a press briefing.
The Philippine Cup will be played in the first four months, while the remaining six months will be the time for Governors’ Cup.
The season-ending conference will feature a double round-robin format, plus the presence of imports. But unlike the change in format, the league sticks to its usual 6’5″ height limit for foreign reinforcements for the tilt.
“It is our hope that we are able to bring ten months of basketball to the Philippines starting April 11,” Vargas said.
April 11 is now the new target date of the league’s opening. The PBA initially wanted to start on April 9, its 46th founding anniversary.
As far as the set-up is concerned, Vargas said that the league is hoping to gain the approval of the Inter-Agency Task Force to hold games in a semi-bubble set-up instead of the costlier bubble — like what it had last year.
It could be remembered that the league shelled out around P 65 million just to stage the Philippine Cup at the Clark Freeport Zone.
“What we want is a non-bubble. If we go to a bubble, it’s going to be very expensive for the PBA to do. We’re working that we are able to do a semi-bubble,” said Vargas, also the governor of TNT.
PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial, on the other hand, said that the league has been in talks with a couple of venues that could host games, although the third-year league chief did not mention which venues in particular.
He added that the league prefers to play within NCR, unlike last year where they went to Pampanga and stayed there for nearly three months.
“Ang nire-request natin makalaro sa NCR. Sana pagbigyan tayo ng Task Force. Nine-negotiate na rin namin ‘yung venues so tingnan natin. Pero request namin, NCR. Kasi nahihirapan talaga pag nasa labas tayo,” he said.
