If allowed in venues, fans to get ‘warm welcome’ from PBA

He is keeping his optimism guarded, but commissioner Willie Marcial said that if the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) will be allowed to have spectators, the league will make sure to give fans a warm welcome.

From free tickets to Christmas Day promos, the commissioner’s office wants to make sure everything is set once current health protocols will allow the PBA to play in front of no longer empty stands.

“We will target a few days where we will give fans free seats in our venues,” Marcial said on Saturday. “But all that will depend on whether the government will allow us to accept spectators.”

The league is hopeful that with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) downgrading restrictions in Metro Manila, the Governors’ Cup could be held full time in the metropolis with fans allowed to watch live.

“We are asking the IATF to give us the protocols, the definite capacity [in venues] allowed and all restrictions,” said Marcial.

The commissioner met with the PBA board on Friday and discussed several scenarios, especially with the announcement that Metro Manila will be put on alert level 2, but only for 16 days.

That means that by the time the league opens tentatively on Nov. 26 or 28, there could be a new level of restriction in the National Capital Region.

Of particular interest for the league, however, is the return of fans, especially after having played its last two tournaments in bio-secure, spectator-free arenas.

“We want to let the fans feel like they’re returning home,” said Marcial. “We are hoping to play a game on Christmas Day and we want fans to feel festive in the arena.”