Five years have passed since a basketball hall was established, and the league administration is expecting a resurgence • The demand: construction of modern halls soon
The "conch" of BS
Photo:
Dudu Greenspan
The league's administration has set itself a goal for the coming years - to improve the condition of the halls and facilities of the basketball clubs in Israel, and especially the construction of several new halls in the coming years.
In conversations with sports officials, the chairman of the administration, Shmuel Frenkel, says that in his opinion, what prevents the industry from advancing is the condition of the facilities and the fact that no new basketball halls have been built in recent years.
Although the former Minister of Sports, Miri Regev, promised that new facilities would be built and hundreds of millions of shekels were allocated for this purpose, in practice nothing was done.
Promotion halls
In parallel with the complex logistical preparations for the 2020/2021 season and the handling of the Corona, and alongside the attempts to approve the introduction of an audience to the pitches, the administration does not intend to neglect the issue of halls.
"Israel Today" has received a document sent in recent days from the administration to the Ministry of Sports, explaining the significant upgrade that has taken place in the last decade for clubs that have entered upgraded facilities.
The administration also attached a letter from Hapoel BS CEO Tomer Yaron explaining the historical importance of the conch hall for the team and the city, such as the influx of investors and the increase in the number of boys and girls playing in the youth department from 270 to 1,000.
"If there was no 'conch' there would not be an adult group and not all these children would come," Yaron writes, "a basketball community was built in the city, the municipality and businessmen got into it strongly - just because there is a proper facility. It is a wheel that drives all basketball."
Talks with industry sources indicate that the construction of new facilities accelerates the attraction of wealthy businessmen to invest in sports clubs and sometimes even acquire ownership of them, such as Uri Alon at Hapoel Jerusalem, Shlomo Isaac at Hapoel Holon and Kfir Arazi at Hapoel Beer Sheva.
The swing was stopped
Between 2013 and 2015, four halls were inaugurated in Israel - the Conch in Jerusalem (2013), the Arena in Jerusalem (2014), the Drive-In in Tel Aviv (2014) and the Toto Hall in Holon (2015).
These halls have led to professional advancement in almost all groups and also to economic upgrades, including the motivation of additional authorities and clubs to build new halls.
In Rishon LeZion there was an advanced plan to build an arena with 6,000 seats, but it was canceled (or delayed). In other cities, proposals were made to build a new hall, but all ideas fell through due to lack of budget problems and bureaucracy. , In her room, and no construction of another hall began.
From a conversation with members of teams playing in outdated halls, it can be understood that the current situation does not match the period.
Groups playing in school halls are forced to look for training times between gymnastics classes.
Clubs without a modern hall are stuck in terms of infrastructure and organization and have suffered a significant loss in the ability to generate revenue.
They also cannot host international games.
"There is no justification for 2020 teams in the Premier League to play in outdated halls with a small amount of seats," the administration officials write.
In Frenkel's conversations with the Ministry of Sports, he clarified that the construction of new halls is of great significance for the city, which will be able to host cultural events, sporting events and conferences on a scale that it has not been able to do to date.
According to him, this will lead to an improvement in the image of the cities and the creation of more jobs.
The Ministry of Sports stated: "As part of the national facilities program, about 150 permits were granted in the amount of NIS 780 million for the construction of training halls, which serve as the infrastructure for all competitive sports in Israel with an emphasis on basketball. Of course, these halls are also used "The lower graduates. The ministry also plans to issue another call for the construction of these halls next month."
Benefits in new halls according to the administration document
Increasing the number of seasonal subscribers
Increasing the amount of tickets sold for the game
Exposure to a new audience and families who did not come to the old-fashioned hall
Significant increase in club revenue
An upgraded viewing experience adapted to world-accepted standards
Hosting international games and tournaments
