Ba Dinh Basketball Club players training on September 6. They will compete in the first-ever semi-pro Hanoi Basketball Championship on September 21-October 2. (Photo courtesy of Ba Dinh Basketball Club) It will be the first-ever semi-pro basketball tournament, themed 'Beyond the Game', in Vietnam with more than 150 million VND (6,300 USD) up for grabs.
The HBC 2022 is co-organised by the Vietnam Basketball Federation, Vietnam Cable Television (VTVcab), and New Sports Company.
Four women's teams will compete in a round-robin format to find out the winner at the Thanh Tri Gymnasium.
Meanwhile, eight men's squads will be divided into two groups and take part in a round-robin competition; the two strongest ones of each group will advance to the next stage.
The men's teams include Hidden Dragons, The Zoo, Dwarf, Scorpius, Ba Dinh, and Hanoi Team.
There will have at least two matches organised every day from 6pm. The final is scheduled for October 2. All matches are free for supporters.
To increase the quality of the tournament, each club is allowed to register an unlimited number of overseas Vietnamese players and two foreigners who are living and working in Vietnam. However, only one foreigner is allowed to play on the court.
For the first time, dancers of the Street Dance Vietnam television show will be invited to cheer up the game.
Those who cannot come to support and join the dances in person can watch live on VTVcab platforms such as ON Sports channel, ON and ON Sports TV apps, ON Sports facebook, and Youtube ON Bong ro.
“Although it is our first time, we expect the tournament will be an annual event not only in Hanoi but also in other cities and provinces," said To Duy, head of the organising board.
"We have invited the best and long-time clubs in the city to compete for a huge bonus. We want to commercialise the event to push clubs to become pro ones.
"We also plan to add entertainment activities through the competition so hip hop dance and dancers from the Street Dance Vietnam are invited to make HBC more attractive," he said.
Organisers believe this decision will help local amateur players sharpen their technique and skills and learn from their pro colleagues. Scouts of the Vietnam Basketball Association teams will also be seeking out talents to improve their line-up for the coming seasons.
The organisers also hope that HBC 2022 will promote the basketball movement in the city and Vietnam in general, and encourage fitness and exercise in Vietnam.
The success of the first championship will be a strong push for organisers to carry out events in other localities and to further the national championship, and the bonus will be bigger in the next season./.
