Basketball clubs and the national executive of the Jamaica Amateur Basketball Association (JABA) met at the Sports Development Foundation last evening, and have cleared the way for the 2011 National Basketball League (NBL) season to start on Sunday, February 20.
This is after months of delay and several starting dates which have been repeatedly pushed back.
The 27 clubs are being offered a $5,000 increase in their start-up allotment, to $70,000.
JABA has also acceded to their demands for an increase and presented the clubs with details of the sponsorship arrangements at Thursday’s meeting.
Clubs’ concern addressed
Pete Matthews, League Director and JABA Vice President, thinks all the major concerns of the clubs have been addressed.
"The teams brought their concerns to the table from the meeting before and we went back as a body, the NBLOC (National Basketball League Organising Committee) met as a body and we put all the concerns on paper. (The clubs) wanted everything in black and white to show what the prize monies were, what the allocation money was, what we were doing with security, the individual awards and stuff like that," he said.
"We put everything on paper, laid it out to them, discussed it and came to a conclusion. Now everybody is okay with the start on Sunday," Matthews added.
Due to the forecasted inclement weather, Sunday's games have been shifted from the outdoor National Stadium courts to the National Arena.
Newcomers Swift Sons and Waterhouse Blazers will contest the opening game at 6:00 p.m. followed by the Tivoli Wizards and Majesty Gardens match up.
The NBL’s Executive Council meeting will also be held on Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
All feeds
