Monday, August 25, 2008 PBA Fiesta Conference sets attendance record
THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) capped its 2007-08 season with a blast as gleamed in the marked increase in both gate receipts and attendance of the recently concluded Smart Fiesta Conference.
The total paying attendance of the season-ending conference won by Barangay Ginebra amoun–ted to 313,220, an improvement of 53 percent from the 204,882 registered during the 2006-07 Fiesta Conference.
Average attendance per game day also rose by an impressive 48 percent from the 3,659 last year to 5,400 this season.
Of the three phases of the conference, the best-of-seven finals had the biggest impact on the numbers with a whooping 122 percent increase, as the title series went the full route that saw the injury-hobbled Kings rally from a 2-3 deficit to win the tournament.
Gate receipts and attendance for the entire Finals amounted to 79,150, up 43,450 from the 35,700 that saw the championship series last year between the Aces and the Talk ‘N Text Phone Pals in a similar epic title duel that also ended in a winner-take-all Game 7.
Average attendance per game day in the Ginebra-Air21 series totaled 11,307, also up by 122 percent from last season.
“The league couldn’t have achieved another milestone without the support of the PBA fans. And for that, we express our heartfelt thanks,” said league commissioner Renauld ‘Sonny’ Barrios. (PBA Media Bureau)
