"This will support the youth who are interested in the sport. This will be a great help to them. From the grassroots, we are going to discover new players," said MPBL Founder Senator Manny Pacquiao. "Hindi naman kami makikipagcompete sa ibang liga, kundi ito ay ambag, tulong din sa pagpromote ng basketball dito sa Pilipinas. It's possible that players who will shine in MPBL will eventually get the opportunity to be drafted by other leagues so it could be complimentary."
Arnold Vegafria, ALV Events International Chairman who happens to be the Business Manager of Manny Pacquiao and overall head of Production and Marketing of MPBL says, "Through Senator Manny Pacquiao vision, we have a basketball league that truly reaches the grassroots level. Finally Filipinos from all walks of life who have the talent and passion for the game will be able to show their mettle on the hardcourt. We are thankful for this opportunity and hope advertisers and basketball fans support this. This is another platform where Pinoys can find their potential basketball heroes."
ABS-CBN Sports Head Dino Laurena expressed his excitement with the entry of MPBL S+A, It was very natural for us to get together because of our shared vision for Philippine Sports and our desire to support Filipino athletes in the grassroots level. Serendipitously, we are celebrating the anniversary of the MBA (Metropolitan Basketball Association) this year, which had the same concept and objective," he said.
Similar to MBA, MPBL features team that represent a province, city, or municipality in the country and has a home-and-away formatthat will give the teams a chance tio play in their hjomecourt in front of fans. Currently, the league has 10 teams from Metro Manilaand Luzon reprsenting Bataan, Batangas, Bulacan, Caloocan, Imus, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Paranaque, Quezon City and Valenzuela. They plan to eventually include teams from Visayas abnd Mindanao.
MPBL Commisioner Kenneth Duremdes also said that the team is required to have at least 3 players that are truly homegrown to the area. "The advantage of this is really the pride of the players for their respective provinces and cities. We alsoi believe that it will be more exciting because of the support of the fans for their teams. In the preseason, we can really see that they are excited as they also want to see their home players succeed,"he said.
To further encourage fans to watch the opening at the Araneta Coliseum, Vegafria said MPBL will be giving away one car and 10 motorbikes on January 25.
The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League telecast is a production of ALV Events International and ABS - CBN SPORTS+Action. It airs 7pm tomorrow January 25 live from Araneta Coliseum on S+A and S+A HD. Catch the games every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 7PM to 11PM.
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