The African Basketball League will be "expanding its season and the number of teams this fall after drawing a total attendance of about 120,000 in its inaugural season," according to Liz Mullen of the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. ABL Founder & CEO Ugo Udezue said that the ABL will expand from six teams in four countries "to 10 teams in eight countries in its second season." Teams will be added in Burkina Faso, Benin, Rwanda and Brazzaville, Congo. Additionally, the second season "will be about a month longer, beginning in November and ending in March." Udezue said that the ABL founders "found the first year to be a learning experience for what is believed to be the first professional basketball league in Africa." Udezue said, "We came into a space that has never been utilized before and we did not know what to expect." One "major surprise" was that data showed that 95% of the people who came to an ABL game "had never been to a basketball game before and about half of the paid attendees were women." Ticket prices ranged from about $5 to $50. Sponsors in the first season included Radisson Blu, ASKY Airlines, Wakanow, Cornerstone Insurance, Union Bank and Cruz Vodka. Udezue said that "they are in talks with more than 20 sponsors for the next season, as well as additional investors, who he declined to name." Udezue would not "reveal financials of the league." He said that the ABL did not make a profit, but it was not "expected to in year one" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, Aug. 1-7 Issue).
