CHICAGO, Aug. 31, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Looking at the upcoming season with team owner success in mind, the Premier Basketball League is setting its 6th season tip-off for March 1, 2013. The league's board is made up of team owners from across the nation, and an annual meeting decision looks to bring the most success and fan-base growth to each program. With the league's season opener traditionally scheduled for the New Year's holiday, PBL schedulers won't have to challenge the NFL play-offs, Super Bowl, and other professional programs with dates overlapping the league's regular season play.
"A motion addressing the season opening date was heard on behalf of a few team owners at our annual meeting in July," stated Tom McGinn, PBL Vice-President of Operations. "We wanted to take each and every team and supporting community into consideration as we looked into additional growth for the 2013 season."
League officials looked at many factors when addressing the issue at the July meeting. Even 2012 PBL expansion into Central Illinois faces early year challenges. The region is now home to two hockey teams, who utilize most of the Friday and Saturday dates in January and February at the arena.
"We brought in a leading consulting firm to look at venue schedules, fans' reaction, and scheduling competition from other leagues. It was decided by a majority vote to move the season start date to March 1st. It was not a unanimous decision, but all factors – including inclement winter weather that wears on PBL programs across the nation – were taken into consideration," stated Eric Farnsworth, Operations assistant.
The opening games will start March 1, 2013 and end with playoffs in May. The season will continue its 20 game schedule ensuring as many weekend dates as possible to accommodate the PBL's family-friendly reputation for avoiding school nights.
"I'm in full support of what team owners and league administrators are accomplishing here. It gives us all the chance to continue growth at the program level. This also gives us more opportunity to bring high caliber professional basketball games to even more fans," commented Joe Runco, owner of the Scranton Steamers. "We look forward to continued program growth since our successful inaugural season in 2012."
League officials are excited about the 2013 season. With the highest caliber of basketball since the league's inception, the 2012 season marked true growth and organizational development for the PBL. For updates on the 2013 season, league administrators encourage fans to visit www.thepbl.com to stay up to date.
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