AIMING to generate more support from local sports fans, the region’s largest collegiate sports association agreed to split the schedule of its showpiece ballgames.
Incoming Baguio-Benguet Educational Athletic League season 28 commissioner Willy Antonio of host school Baguio College of Technology confirmed to Sun.Star Baguio the anticipated separation of basketball and volleyball games for BBEAL.
“After a long time of deliberation among the different sport coordinators of each member school, BBEAL agreed to distribute the centrepiece sports seen in the collegiate league,” Antonio said.
He said the argument was settled by each representative from the 10 school conclave, considering basketball to be showcased in the league’s first phase while volleyball will be bannered during the second phase.
“We all know that in the past years of BBEAL, after the first phase the following competed sports lack the charm to gather support from the fans of each school,” Antonio said.
“Separating the two centrepiece contest of the league might be the key to generate more fans that will follow the games of each team from the different participating schools,” Antonio added.
He said with the decision, college fans will indeed have time to focus in supporting their teams.
“Dati kasi nahahati ang attention ng mga supporters, minsan may laro dito ng basketball which is coinciding sa schedule ng laro ng volleyball, so although the league generates crowd laging divided ang mga pupuntang manonood,” Antonio quipped.
The ten member school of the BBEAL has an estimated 50,000 students with the three big universities namely Saint Louis University, University of Baguio, and University of the Cordilleras generating most of the audience.
“In the previous events, I guess nakita na rin ng mga elder members ng BBEAL na perhaps this is a better solution and we are all motivated that it will benefit the whole sports league,” Antonio said.
BCT, the youngest member of the almost three-decade sports league was picked to host the largest collegiate league in northern Luzon.
Antonio earlier announced BBEAL will hold its opening ceremonies August 30 with the official turnover of the host school July 2 despite three of its member schools scheduled to open second week of August.
The first phase events programmed until December will see competitions including chess, badminton, table tennis, sepak, swimming and archery.
The second phase events perceived January of every year will have athletics, wushu, taekwondo, softball, baseball, football and judo.
Last season, new side events were introduced including the Mr. & Ms.
BBEAL and Love Run matching the celebration in the month of February.
City based members of the league are Baguio Central University, Philippine Military Academy, Pines City College Inc., and the University of the Philippines-Baguio.
La Trinidad based Benguet State University and Cordillera Career Development College are also member of the collegiate sports association.