Spanish Basketball League (ACB) Exec President Francisco Roca, who previously worked for the Spanish Football League (LFP) and the NBA, took over a position that had been vacant for eight months when he was appointed to the role on May 26, according to Faustino Sáez of EL PAIS. Roca discussed the league's outlook and his plans for the ACB in a Q&A. Below is an excerpt:
On the outlook of the league...
Francisco Roca: It has not brought surprises. All that I had read about the problems for the ACB, court attendance, the schedule, the audience, the format of the competition, the relationships, etc. The principal value is the quality of competition. We are without doubt the best league outside the U.S. and this lets us start from a strong position. We have five Spanish teams in the Euroleague, great players and great coaches.
On issues to resolve...
Roca: I want to strengthen the communication and content generation. In recent years we have lost ground. We have to fight to reverse this trend, to regain followers, and gain all the space that we can, everything that football leaves open. On TV we have unsatisfactory audiences and we have to improve the quality of the production, marketing and promotion. We also have to work to resolve the matter of promotion and relegation. It is difficult to be promoted to the ACB due to economic requirements. The most reasonable path is to maintain the rule, but look for ways to delay the deadline so that it is not unachievable. ... Another essential point is earning more money. We have to have more sponsors and profitability. What the clubs expect from us is that we share more money at the end of the year.
On changing the format...
Roca: Addressing FIBA's plans, we have to at least modify the calendar. After this is the debate about turning to a league of two seasons and eliminating the playoffs. I believe the playoffs are part of the DNA of basketball and neither I nor anyone is sure that removing this would be a change for the better. We will make modifications and I hope we're correct. The reduction of the number of teams is being considered. Having less clubs would simplify the calendar but complicate other matters.
On leagues to emulate...
Roca: Football, the NBA and the Euroleague are valid mirrors, but we will also look at the EPL, at Disney, at McDonald's, at Coca-Cola. ... We have to look at how major brands with markets similar to ours project themselves. Something that we could import from the NBA to the reality of our market would be very welcome. We already have a title sponsor like La Liga or the EPL. ... We can't turn our back to the evolution of the sports and entertainment sectors (EL PAIS, 11/9).
