PBA Board will meet to discuss bubble proposal
The PBA Board of Governors will meet on Friday to discuss what bubble setup the league will adopt if the season can resume in the second week of October.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said league officials will decide on going with either an NBA-type bubble or the one adopted by the German Bundesliga while also tackling offers from numerous hotels and resorts willing to host the games.
“May mga 16 o 17 hotels na nagbigay sa atin ng proposal na gusto nila matuloy ang sports at para matulungan din natin ang turismo,” Marcial said during his appearance in Monday’s press conference of the Commission on Higher Education.
Clark, Subic, El Nido, Baguio and even Dubai were named as among those that expressed interest in hosting the PBA bubble.
READ: GAB chairman Baham Mitra hopes ‘bubble’ here in PH, not abroad
Under an NBA-style bubble, teams and league staff will be housed under a single site while the Bundesliga setup had a similar bubble with teams being quartered in hotels and playing on their own pitches minus the presence of fans.
The NBA bubble model has been recommended by public health expert Tony Leachon but Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director and former PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios said the concept could be an “expensive proposition.”
READ: Amenities for proposed bubble setup would be a big help, says chairman Ricky Vargas
The league is currently in the first phase of its quest to salvage the season by holding practices separated in groups sessions.
The PBA has submitted a letter to the Inter-Agency Task Force seeking for approval of team scrimmages in preparation for the possible resumption of the season.
If the season can be held next month, the PBA plans to hold a compact schedule in hopes of completing the halted Philippine Cup in December.