Mecca 2017 set to be largest yet; GABF head plans to improve marketing

Sep 17, 2017 Sports, https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...o-improve-marketing/

Guyana’s National Club Basketball Championship, Mecca, has been set for November-December this year, and is expected to have the final tip off on Boxing Day, according to President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF), Nigel Hinds. In addition, he promised that 16 clubs will be battling for the biggest incentives that the competition has ever seen. The $1.2 million top prize of 2014, which was the largest to date, will definitely be surpassed.
Mecca 2017 will feature 7 clubs each from the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) and the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA), while two clubs from the less active Berbice association will be included. Defending champions Raiders of Linden and runners up Bounty Colts of Georgetown will be ranked 1 and 2 respectively.
Teams that don’t have previous tournament ranking will be selected based on their rank within their association. Hinds explained to Kaieteur Sport that, “This competition will be contested between 1st division clubs.” The tournament will be contested at three venues, the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), Vrymen’s Erven in Berbice and the Mackenzie Sports Club in Linden. From the quarterfinal stage all matches will be played at the CASH.
Hinds posited that in 2014 the stands at CASH were almost at capacity for the semifinals and finals but that wasn’t the case in 2015 and 2016. “We recognize the vital importance of marketing which will help in improving attendance at matches,” stated the GABF head. He further explained that the Federation intends to market this tournament well despite financial constraints.