Qatar Basketball Federation aims to raise the bar of local league Tuesday, 31 January 2012 00:18

Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) President Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (second right), speaking to mediapersons yesterday.

BY ARMSTRONG VAS

Doha: Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) President Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has lined up a number of initiatives – both on and off the field - with a view to raise the standard of play in the local league, it was informed here yesterday.

Sheikh Saoud, who is also the Secretary-General of Qatar Olympic Committee, said that the plan is to take the QBF league to the highest level and make it a major attraction for fans hailing from different communities based in Qatar.

“We want to make basketball popular in Qatar. We aim to take it a standard matching the status and following of football in the country. We have things in mind. We want to involve different communities based in Qatar. We know the Filipinos, Spanish, Asians and Americans passionately love basketball. So we want to reach out to them and want them to part of the local league. ”

“We also plan to have a community’s basketball league like the one the volleyball association is conducting for expatiates,” said the QBF President, while speaking to journalists here yesterday.

The Qatar Volleyball Association has been conducting a Volleyball community’s league from 2009 which has turned out to be a major crowd puller.

Among the other major initiatives to be undertaken by QBF in the near future is to bring international players to play in the local league.

“We want to create conditions for the local clubs to recruit international players who will have an impact on the local league and also help raise the level of the competition,” said Sheikh Saoud.

The QBF President, who completed his studies in basketball crazy USA, said the plan is to build a fan base for each of the clubs taking part in the league.

“When I was in the USA, I identified myself with one of the local clubs, although I was not a US citizen. I hope people of different communities staying in Qatar become fans of the local clubs and become involved with the sporting act.”

The QBF, he said, are planning to integrate programmes for children and families during the basketball league to give fans a multitude of activities and programmes to choose from.

“We want the local league to be not just basketball, but also have the element of fun, and involve all communities. We will be shortly undertaking a marketing and communication campaign. We want to say to the communities and fans, be there and enjoy the basketball along with other activities.

The QBF are also planning to use social media platforms of facebook and twitter to drive home the fans to the local league.

Sheikh Saoud said the QBF will request some of the major companies like Qtel and QP to field their teams in the second division. The Qatar Men’s League of QBF was launched in the 1981-82 season and is contested by eight clubs.

Defending champions Al Rayyan, Al Ahli, Al Gharafa, El Jaish, Qatar Sports Club, Al Sadd and Al Wakra are the teams taking part in the League. The QBF also conducts the Heir Apparent Cup and the Emir Cup.

Cameron Crisp Cortez, William Earl Byrd, Boney Harold Watson, Temie Narcellius Soyebo, Chauncey LaMont Leslie, Michael Benjamin Southall and Darren Michael Kelly are some of the prominent foreign players taking part in the league.

Hatem Mamlouk, Koussay Al Qalaf, Dragoslav Milovanovic, John Cofino, Brian Rowson, Zoran Kreckovic and Ihab Galal coach the Qatar Men’s League clubs.

The Peninsula

| More...