Jun 19, 2007, 2:02 pm
NZL - McGoldrick eyes european model
From <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.fiba.com">[url="http://www.fiba.com"]http://www.fiba.com[/url]</a><!-- w -->
WELLINGTON (National Team) - Basketball New Zealand chief executive Bryn McGoldrick has set out a two-phase plan to improve the country's standing in the sport.
After a fact-finding tour, McGoldrick has announced plans to increase the number of series played by the men's and women's teams against European opposition.
"Being up there in Europe and seeing the figures, playing numbers, TV ratings, and the revenue being generated, it's quite staggering," he told The Dominion Post.
"I think it's clear that we need to spend more time up in Europe.
"Having been there and seen it first-hand, it's obvious where we need to be. It is a bit of a shift, but it's reality. It's too hard to get them down here."
Tours of Latvia and Croatia have already been scheduled, while Tall Blacks coach Nenad Vucinic is set to attend this year's EuroBasket in Spain.
BBNZ also hope to tackle basketball's omission from the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Dehli and the 2014 edition.
"As a result we are looking at organising a Commonwealth tournament every four years in the same year as the Commonwealth Games until we get back in," McGoldrick added.
"It's not what we wanted, but it's the next best thing."
From <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.fiba.com">[url="http://www.fiba.com"]http://www.fiba.com[/url]</a><!-- w -->
WELLINGTON (National Team) - Basketball New Zealand chief executive Bryn McGoldrick has set out a two-phase plan to improve the country's standing in the sport.
After a fact-finding tour, McGoldrick has announced plans to increase the number of series played by the men's and women's teams against European opposition.
"Being up there in Europe and seeing the figures, playing numbers, TV ratings, and the revenue being generated, it's quite staggering," he told The Dominion Post.
"I think it's clear that we need to spend more time up in Europe.
"Having been there and seen it first-hand, it's obvious where we need to be. It is a bit of a shift, but it's reality. It's too hard to get them down here."
Tours of Latvia and Croatia have already been scheduled, while Tall Blacks coach Nenad Vucinic is set to attend this year's EuroBasket in Spain.
BBNZ also hope to tackle basketball's omission from the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Dehli and the 2014 edition.
"As a result we are looking at organising a Commonwealth tournament every four years in the same year as the Commonwealth Games until we get back in," McGoldrick added.
"It's not what we wanted, but it's the next best thing."