Euroleague Basketball presents a basketball calendar proposal to FIBA and other stakeholders

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Calendar proposal guarantees that players will be present in all International competitions, defends national teams playing on their home soil and respects the traditional clubs season calendar

Euroleague Basketball presented a basketball calendar proposal to its stakeholders – clubs, domestic leagues, coaches, players, officials – and to FIBA on September 21, 2017, with the aim of finding a solution to the current ‘FIBA 2017 calendar’ and the interference of the so-called ‘FIBA windows’ with the club competitions, both domestic and international, in Europe and beyond. The proposal takes into account the reality of basketball globally, and aims to find a broad understanding on a harmonized calendar for the whole basketball family, making all players available to be present at all official national team events while allowing more of those events to be held on home soil. The participation of the best players is crucial for fans, media and rights holders to fully embrace the project, as well as for national teams and national federations to maintain their traditional status as premium basketball competitions and to be able to have the fairest competition on the court amongst all participants.

The calendar proposal principles have previously been presented to the clubs and has been also shared with all Turkish Airlines EuroLeague participating players through those present at the latest EuroLeague Team Captains Meeting, as well as with all coaches and referees of the competition. Euroleague Basketball is convinced that the opinion of key stakeholders is of utmost importance and needs to be taken into consideration for any definitive calendar that is discussed. The proposal reflects the long-standing position of Euroleague Basketball and its clubs that national teams are one of the cornerstones for the promotion and growth of basketball.

Euroleague Basketball’s calendar proposal emphasizes the importance of having the best players participating with their national teams in the FIBA Qualifiers, FIBA EuroBasket, FIBA Basketball World Cup and Summer Olympic Games whilst respecting the traditional clubs competitions calendar, and opens the door for Euroleague Basketball’s clubs competition calendar to be adjusted in its start dates, end dates and preparation periods to better accommodate national teams’ games and to reach a consensus between all different bodies.

ECA had already sent a similar counter-proposals to FIBA on 23rd April 2012 with the aim of reaching a common agreement; unfortunately, no response has been received to date.

The proposal is based on the following principles:

1. National Federations need their National Team to have the best players available for all official games
2. National Federations need their National Team to play official qualification games on home soil
3. National Team calendar should occupy four weeks per season, in addition to a two week preparation period
4. Club calendar should occupy thirty eight weeks per season
5. Professional basketball players need at least four weeks of complete rest from official activity per season.

Press release EuroLeague