Head coaches, referees get a jump on the 2022-23 season

Their day-long sessions drew upon lessons learned from more than 500 games across both competitions last season to identify ways in which the fan experience might be enhanced going forward.

Better understanding of rules interpretations and applications between referees and head coaches, who in turn pass on that information to their players, is part of a process every summer that aims to keep games clean at the same time as it makes them more exciting.

"Basketball is the only sport where you can switch the rules between one season and another to improve the game and make it more fun for the fans," Alex Mumbru, the new head coach of Valencia Basket, said after the meeting. "What's most important is for the fans to come to the gyms and see the best basketball in Europe. So it's important for the coaches, the referees and the clubs to be in agreement. We all want a great show."

Among the agenda items discussed in the meetings were officiating criteria applied in low-post situations and the circumstances surrounding unsportsmanlike foul calls. Another emphasis was off-ball situations with an eye toward enhancing freedom of movement for offensive players.

Jaka Lakovic, Gran Canaria

Being able to offer their direct opinions on how the games should be officiated next season proved a valuable opportunity for all of the head coaches.

"At the end of the day, we play this game for the fans to come in our gym, to support us, to watch and to enjoy the games," Dusan Alimpijevic, head coach of Frutti Extra Bursaspor, said. "Everything that EuroLeague and EuroCup are doing right now goes in that direction -- to improve the game, to make it more attractive, quicker and faster. For all of us coaches, it's really important to be involved in this and to affect somehow these decisions."

Just like the coaches will take conclusions from meetings straight to their players and staffs in training camps, next steps for the officiating department include educating the referees on what was agreed this week at the collective's annual preseason clinic, to be held in late August.

"The consistent evolution of the game, both how it is played and how it is officiated, explains why basketball is so dynamic and why we strive to get ahead of the curve each summer," Richard Stokes, Senior Director of Officiating at Euroleague Basketball, said. "Having the coaches contribute like this now, early in the process, is essential to the goal of sharpening what we all do to make the game better season to season."

Mazys Maksvytis, Zalgiris Kaunas

With a focus on improving the on-court action for fans, head coaches from the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup held their annual meetings with the Euroleague Basketball officiating department over two days in Barcelona this week.

The Sports Business MBA brings a unique 360º educational model on sports business management, featuring online learning, face-to-face sessions and practical training in a sports business context. The e-learning consists of weekly lectures and assignments with end-of-module exams, Euroleague Basketball case studies and the preparation of academic papers, including an MBA thesis. 

The in-person sessions take participants to different destinations in Europe where they can enjoy access to four knowledge transfer centers: at the headquarters of Euroleague Basketball in Barcelona; at the Vytautas Magnus University campus and EuroLeague Basketball club Zalgiris Kaunas in Kaunas; and the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four.

Euroleague Basketball and Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) have officially opened the application process for the 2022-24 Sports Business MBA by EB Institute.

2022-24 Sports Business MBA - Launch of Application Procedure

The MBA offers maximum flexibility and sustained interaction with professors, guest lecturers and sports industry experts, allowing existing and aspiring sports management professionals to enhance their professional skills and develop a career in one of the most exciting and fast-growing sectors in the world.

Students enrolling in the course will be equipped with all of the necessary tools to become professionals in a broad range of sporting companies, organizations and endeavors, including clubs, leagues, international and national federations, sports marketing agencies, sponsors, technology providers and media outlets, to name a few. The course awards 90 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) to graduates.

Applications for the Sports Business MBA must be submitted by July 31, 2022. For more information please visit: <https://www.sportsbusinessmba.net> 

6th Sports Business MBA by EB Institute now receiving applications

The 2022 and 2023 classes of EB Institute's Sports Business MBA came together recently in Kaunas, Lithuania, home of Vytautas Magnus University and Euroleague Basketball club Zalgiris Kaunas, for a hybrid session of in-person and e-learning classes.

EB Institute's MBA students meet in Kaunas

Their first in-person session in the course, due to safety protocols that had kept classes on-line previously, was full of activities.

The students defended their term papers and participated in master thesis battle sessions, absorbed exclusive presentations from sports business professionals, learned first-hand how Zalgiris Kaunas runs its operations, and experienced various cultural, educational and entertainment activities.

Amid a total of six online modules making use of the course's e-learning platform, the next in-person session is set for this coming May, when the students will go behind the scenes at the Euroleague Basketball's flagship event, the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four.

The class of 2022 is due to complete its studies the month after the Final Four while the class of 2023 is scheduled to conclude one year from now, in January 2023.

The 2017 class of the Euroleague Basketball Institute Master in Sports Management Marketing gathered in Venice, Italy, earlier this month to defend their respective theses and celebrate their 10-month journey, which culminated with a graduation ceremony, where they were awarded their hard-earned diplomas. The 20 students who made up the 2017 class arrived from as far afield as the United States of America, Russian Federation, Germany and Turkey.

The students from the EB Institute Masters 11th edition had met several times previously: first at Euroleague Basketball headquarters in Barcelona for the transfer of knowledge from the league’s senior management, then at an academic session in Venice held at Ca Foscari University, followed by the 2017 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Istanbul, where they were taken behind the scenes and attended lectures from industry leaders. The students filled the time in between those in-person encounters with intense e-learning and case study group assignments.

During the fourth session, the students presented a marketing, communication or business plan for their final thesis. This session ended with a graduation ceremony at the Auditorium Santa Margherita, a unique backdrop for the students to round off a year full of memorable events.

“Sitting through the Graduation Ceremony this year has brought back many memories” said Euroleague Basketball Chief Operations Officer, Eduard J. Scott. “In 2005, thanks to the vision of our former Communication Director Ferran Marquez, the first foundations were set for the creation of an innovative blended learning Sports Marketing and Communication program. 10 years after the first edition graduated in 2007, 220 alumni from 38 countries across the globe have come through the EB Institute Master and can now be found excelling in clubs, domestic leagues, federations, marketing agencies, venue managers and event organisers.”

Class valedictorian Matevz Zupancic of Slovenia, who serves as the general manager of Union Olimpija Ljubljana, shared what made the Master special for him. “In my case, the EB Institute Master followed my experience in professional sport and not vice versa. 12 years of experience has been complemented with a rich theoretical background. Some of my already implemented business ideas got firm academic confirmation, others advised me to change or upgrade in the future. A mix of university and Euroleague Basketball approach was a great combination for students to get different types of knowledge, different views, giving us different tasks and different feedback. Like basketball, the EB Institute Master is a team sport. Working in groups on case studies and assignments online and in-person tested our leadership and teamwork abilities. However the biggest added value of the program is gaining precious business and social connections through meeting colleagues from all around Europe. I am looking forward to being a part of the EB Institute Alumni network.”

2017 EB Institute Master Class is 11th generation to graduate in Venice

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The Euroleague Basketball Institute Sports Business MBA tipped off its new program earlier this month in a welcome meeting, with 16 students from nine different countries starting a journey in conjunction with Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania that will conclude in January 2023.


Tipoff for new EB Institute Sports Business MBA

The Euroleague Basketball Institute Sports Business MBA tipped off its new program earlier this month in a welcome meeting, with 16 students from nine different countries starting a journey in conjunction with Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania that will conclude in January 2023.

Due to safety protocols the first session took place online, with the students being introduced to the program structure, the e-learning platform and the six online modules they will follow. They also received presentations from Euroleague Basketball executives including Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball CEO.

One student, Victor Gomez, captured the motivations of many of the group as he explained why he signed up for the program:

"It's kind of like a romantic story because I was lucky enough to be in the Final Four in Vitoria, and when I was there, working in the events industry, I felt that somehow at one point in my life I should be working close to the basketball environment, because since I'm a kid I've been a basketball fan, playing, coaching. And then unfortunately because of COVID I had more time, so it was the perfect timing to dedicate myself to the studies of the MBA."

Mikhail Ratts, from Russia, added: "I like the program a lot because it gives a great overview of how the business operates. It gives a great structure in terms of knowledge because nowadays you have a lot of information but it's sometimes hard to structure it, and this is what the program provides. So far it's going pretty well; my expectations are met."

It is planned for the remainder of the program to follow an in-person format, including two sessions in Kaunas and a series of events at the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin.

Throughout the program, the students will interact with Vytautas Magnus University professors, guest academics and industry experts to follow their online modules and prepare a scientific-research-applied project, before culminating with their final thesis.

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The first EuroLeague Team Doctors Meeting could not have been more timely as preparations for a healthy 2020-21 season dominated an agenda that attracted medical professionals from all Turkish Airlines EuroLeague clubs to an in-depth group discussion on Friday.

The meeting, held by video-conference, was part of the 2020-21 EB Institute Annual Workshops, which for a decade have brought together professionals from EuroLeague and EuroCup clubs to exchange information in their specialties and plan collectively for the future.

"The entire priority, goal and philosophy is that the league and the clubs help and support each other, sharing best practices, for the benefit of EuroLeague Team Doctors individually; for the medical staff in our clubs; and ultimately for our clubs as a whole, so that we can help stay healthy and best recover players as well as other club staff in the best way possible," Eduard J. Scott, Euroleague Basketball Chief Operations Officer, said.

The meeting was led by Dr. Ignacio Muro, Euroleague Basketball Medical Officer, who emphasized the crucial importance, after a season that couldn't be completed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, of cooperation between all clubs. "We need to have this network of communication so that the team doctors can talk to each other to know exactly what the situation is in the different cities before traveling next season" Dr. Muro said. "We all need as much information as we can have, as soon as possible." Also of fundamental significance, Dr. Muro affirmed, is the need for team doctors to anticipate providing more medical services than ever to players who were forced to lessen or even stop their athletic activity for the first time in their careers.

Following self-introductions by all the team doctors, there was a guest presentation by Dr. Florian Kainzinger of Think.Health in Germany in which he spoke about the details of the planning and execution of the virus-free "bubble" in which that country's domestic league was able to recently complete a three-week end-of-season tournament in Munich without any COVID-19 positives.

In the context of preventing, diagnosing and treating injuries to which idled players might become more susceptible, Dr. Guy Morag of Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv spoke to the group about advanced knee cartilage surgery. His discussion covered the gamut from lavage to microfracture surgery to transplants and grafts, among other procedures, noting both the key diagnostic questions and the success rates of each.

Dr. Mindaugas Gudelis of FC Barcelona talked about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of muscle injuries, which are among the most common in professional basketball. Dr. Gudelis broke down the muscle injuries by location, with calves and quadriceps leading the way, and analyzed how different types of injuries even in the same location require distinct treatments, recovery times and subsequent workload modification when a player is able to return to action in three stages: working alone, working with the team and returning to live game performance.

Dr. Ugur Dilicikik of Anadolu Efes Istanbul outlined the day-to-day work of his club medical staff with the team on issues of player health and performance. Dr. Dilicikik cited the critical importance of studying each player as an individual, from both a medical and athletic standpoint, in order to tailor the proper preparation and recovery techniques to his particular medical history and role on the team.

The EB Insitute Annual Workshops continued on Monday with the EuroLeague Head Coaches convening for discussions with Euroleague Basketball executives, to be followed on Tuesday by another session with the Euroleague Basketball officiating department. The EuroCup Head Coaches will meet with the Euroleague Basketball officiating department on Wednesday.

EuroLeague Team doctors join EB Institute annual workshops

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The tipoff to the 2020-21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season began this week as professionals in business, ticketing and communications from clubs across the continent met virtually to map out strategies to bring back Europe's most elite basketball stronger than ever to the fans.

The desire to respond to the incompletion of the 2019-20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic by planning creative and innovative solutions for all stakeholders was evident in the elevated participation by multiple executives from many clubs in each of three meetings on Wednesday and Thursday.

The EuroLeague Business Area Directors Meeting on Wednesday was a three-hour outline of initiatives designed to reignite the means for clubs to recover from the incomplete season and propel themselves and the league into a new and exciting future.

"I want to emphasize how important it is to gather together in these challenging times, how important it is to try to help each other, help the league, help the clubs to overcome the difficulties that we are facing," Jordi Bertomeu, President and CEO of Euroleague Basketball, told the business area directors. "But it's no less important to understand the solutions to the problems we have in front of us, in difficult times, have never been solved individually or by looking back to the past. This is important to remember. Today once again, we will share information, we will have a constructive dialogue and we will try to be creative. But as always, we have to take responsibility for our performance. To have a league like the EuroLeague has one main purpose: the ability to define and reach good common policies that help the growth of the group."

That future will include such steps forward as a Digital Transformation Fund for the clubs to tap in order to engage better and more closely with fans, as well as Pandemic Response Guidelines that specify how Euroleague Basketball and the clubs can overcome the new set of challenges brought on by the pandemic so as to provide a safe and fun environment when doors eventually open for tens of thousands of fans who enjoy EuroLeague games live every week.

A centerpiece of the Business Area Directors meeting was the review of a new, five-year business strategy devised by Euroleague Basketball and its joint-venture partner, IMG, following extensive market research conducted by Deloitte Sports Business Group, to define the EuroLeague's market position for the future. The long-term analysis confirmed that the EuroLeague is impressing fans and stakeholders alike with its authenticity, cultural impact, creativity and pioneering spirit. Those attributes are key elements in new statements of the vision, mission and values that center on the tenacity, humanity, leadership, curiosity and passion that are poised to distinguish the EuroLeague in the sports market of the next decade.

Thursday brought the turns of club media and ticketing directors during separate video-conferences in which they broke down with EuroLeague executives the challenges and solutions of meeting the new business strategy's goals in each of their specialties.

In the morning, the EuroLeague Media Directors Meeting focused on the utmost importance of engagement with fans now and as the action resumes next season through content development that brings players and teams even closer to their loyal supporters. A review of the shortened 2019-20 season revealed higher audiences rates than ever for the EuroLeague across all communications and social media channels, a trend that the league and clubs plan to feed with fresh ideas across multiple platforms. The conversation continued with alternative scenarios to allow the media to cover games when they restart in the fall, but also to keep giving them access to the players and coaches in the lead-up to the new season.

Thursday evening's Ticketing Directors Meeting brought about several lively discussions about how different teams are preparing for the 2020-21 season despite the uncertainty of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Enrique Garcia, the business venue director at the AS Roma football club, was a guest for the first part of the meeting. He relayed the different strategies he is employing in these times, including the switch to a completely paperless ticketing system. The second half of the meeting was dedicated to dealing with COVID-19 repercussions and communicating with fans and season-ticket holders, with Marshall Glickman, G2 Strategic CEO, helping to navigate the discussion whilst comparing North American and European practices in the field.

The EB Insitute Annual Workshops continue on Friday with the first meeting to date of all EuroLeague team doctors, then resume next week with the head coaches of both the EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup convening in institutional sessions of their own as well as sit-downs with the Euroleague Basketball officiating department.

Business, ticketing and media directors tip off EB Institute Workshops

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Protecting the health of players, coaches, referees, other game personnel and club staff members was the focus as doctors from Turkish Airlines EuroLeague clubs came together to discuss medical best practices on Friday as part of the Euroleague Basketball Institute Annual Workshops.

Team doctors focus on players' health at EBI workshop

The day-long session at the competition headquarters in Barcelona was led by Dr. Ignacio Muro and Massimo Simonetta, Euroleague Basketball's Medical Officer and Health & Performance Officer, respectively, and covered a wide range of topics, all designed to ensure that players across the continent are given the best possible medical care.

This was the first time the doctors' meeting has been held in-person, and Dr. Ugur Dilicikik from Anadolu Efes Istanbul greatly appreciated the opportunity to spend time and exchange ideas and expertise with his peers.

"Being able to share our experiences and finding new ideas is a great opportunity for us," he said. "Year by year, there are always new things to learn, especially this season, and it was useful to share the information about the injuries that all teams suffered during the pandemic."

The first item of discussion was an injury and illness summary for the 2020-21 season, which was of course heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A number of proposals for new protocols were also on the agenda, including concussion procedures, medical material required for visiting teams, biological therapy and doping tests. There was a particular focus on the ability to respond quickly and effectively to on-court emergencies, highlighted by the recent case of Danish footballer Christian Eriksen.

Managing the ongoing impact of the pandemic remains a live topic, and the club doctors debated ways of managing vaccination programs, the COVID-19 passport and future positive cases in order to agree on new regulations ahead of the 2021-22 season.

Although the doctors are in one sense rivals at the club level, there is a strong sense of camaraderie within the group as they work together to find the best ways to care for all players.

As Dr. Mindaugas Gudelis from FC Barcelona said: "It's very important to share our experiences about managing injuries and illnesses, and to understand the problems that different clubs have encountered. The goal of our meeting is to learn how we can look after the players, to share our knowledge and make every possible improvement.

"EuroLeague is getting stronger every year and we are doing the same – sharing, learning and growing together. There are lots of things we can do and it's important to have the same protocols and make good decisions for the future to make sure the players are protected."

Medical Officers Meeting in Barcelona

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Head coaches from the 7DAYS EuroCup came together at the Euroleague Basketball Institute Annual Workshops in Barcelona this week to discuss the new look and rising status of the competition heading into the new 2021-22 season.

EuroCup coaches plan for new-look competition

The EuroCup has a revamped format for the coming campaign, with an 18-game regular season followed by single-game knockout rounds from the round of 16 onwards.

Evgeny Pashutin of Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar is particularly excited by the new structure for the latter stages, saying: "For sure, it will be more pressure because it’s win or go out. You have to be ready for each game and everybody will have to be sharp: players, coaches, organizations, everyone. It will be really interesting for fans and the media, and I am excited about it."

The bulk of the EuroCup coaches' workshop was an in-depth discussion with the competition's officiating department, allowing both sides to go into detail about how the game rules are interpreted and applied to make the on-court action better each season. The session was led by Richard Stokes, Euroleague Basketball's Senior Director of Officiating, who started by emphasizing the importance of ensuring that players, coaches and officials all have the same expectations in the interpretation and application of the rules.

Later in the session, there were video analyses of several foul situations, including the defensive semi-circle, act of shooting, landing space for shooters, traveling, post play and screening, with the aim of reducing misunderstandings and further strengthening the important relationship between coaches and officials.

Carles Duran of Joventut Badalona said: "There is a lot of communication between coaches and referees, especially with Richard Stokes, who is always open to having fluid communication. It is super-important that we all have the same criteria, and this is the right moment for us all to meet so that we have no doubts once the season starts. I believe the organization does its best to have that fluid communication."

Nenad Canak of Lietkabelis Panevezys added: "It is always important to try to understand things better. For sure, it is very helpful for us, coaches, to clarify some things. I think that the most important thing that coaches must have is good communication with the referees during the game. This is really important in basketball."

Head Coaches Meeting in Barcelona

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