A basketball lesson for other sports

IT is rare to find a sold-out sporting venue these days in Malaysia but basketball has been able to do what football or hockey can't -- bring in the crowd. The Asean Basketball League's (ABL) regular season has just ended with the playoffs due to take place tomorrow but already the inaugural season has been hailed as a resounding success.

Fans have responded well to the six-team league with the KL Dragons enjoying capacity backing, albeit at the Maba Stadium which can hold no more than 2,000 people.

Before any snickers, bear in mind that even the mighty Selangor football team can't attract more than that at the Shah Alam Stadium these days and they've got all the stars and lead the Super League!

The fans flocking to the Dragons home games have ensured an electric atmosphere and throw in a few cheerleaders and half-time prize giveaways and you've got a winning formula.

Compare that with the mundane surroundings of football's M-League, with the exception of Kota Baru's Sultan Mohamed IV Stadium, and you get a contrast in the extremes.
The ABL was launched with the main idea of raising the standard of basketball in the region but it can't hurt if fans are attracted as well.

It is hoped the ABL will have a spillover effect, leading to stronger national teams and domestic leagues.

The Dragons struggled in the initial stage of the league but improvement in the later stages among the local players helped the Dragons snatch a playoff berth at the death.

Although Dragons have five foreigners in the squad, the likes of Chee Li Wei, Loh Shee Fai and B. Guganeswaran have not been shy to show their stuff.

To have to compete with skilled imports can only make the locals better players and therein lies an example for football to follow.

The M-League has eschewed foreign players to its own detriment but ABL has shown that having imports is not all bad.

Another factor behind the success of the ABL has to be down to corporate backing of the league from day one.

To have none other than AirAsia founder Datuk Tony Fernandes as the ABL president has not only attracted attention of sponsors and the media alike, but also goes someway to ensure that the ABL has a reasonable chance of success.

Yet one more lesson for football, dominated by politicians as long as anyone can remember, to learn.


KL Dragons and the ABL have shown that with a proper plan, the right people and enough resources, a sport can prosper.
Football has squandered so much money, probably more than RM500 million over the last 30 years, but what do they have to show for it?

A run-down and star-less league, less than convincing plans to send senior players on foreign attachment and the virtual absence of a crowd at matches.

NST