President of the Basketball Africa League, Amadou Gallo Fall, believes there is a need to consolidate on the successes recorded so far in the league.
The BAL, which is already halfway through its fourth season, had three conferences for the very first time in its history.
There was an increase in fans, views, and attention from players around the world to be a part of the league.
During the opening press conference of the Sahara Conference of the 2024 BAL, Fall said they needed to build on the successes recorded in the three seasons.
”We will continue to build on the momentum. It is always great to see steady progress, and that is what we have seen since the launch of the BAL in 2021.
”How do we measure success? He asked, ”First of all, by the quality of the product, which is the basketball on the court, and how it is viewed around the world, fans get to see and enjoy it.”
Over the years, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of imports that compete in the league. Fall considers it a positive outcome for the league.
”We continue to be very positive toward the players who are playing on the court and the different teams consistently. They see BAL as a tremendous asset for them to showcase their talent to the whole of Africa, which the world can enjoy.”
Despite being faced with the challenge of the pandemic, the BAL has since attracted fans around the world who travel to watch the games in the different conferences and the playoffs. Fall said the sold-out arenas they recorded in Pretoria and Dakar are evidence of the increase in the number of fans.
”The league was lost in the middle of the pandemic with no fans; the second year, we still had the pandemic, and there were restrictions. We had fans return last year for the first time. We didn’t have restrictions, and we saw the final packed with fans on the strands with a sold-out crowd.
APR will face US Monastir, while AS Douanes will take on Rivers Hoopers on the opening day of the Sahara Conference.
