AN end-November opening is being eyed by the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) for its second conference, which will be the 2021 Governors’ Cup.
The second conference opening, which may be held at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City, can be November 26 or 28 depending if the PBA can get clearance from the Pasig City government.
The IATF and the Department of Foreign Affairs already gave its stamp of approval for PBA teams to bring in imports for the next conference but only very recently, which explains the choice of the new date for the opening, originally set for the middle of this month.
The PBA, through league commissioner Willy Marcial, is also wishing and praying that by the time the Governors’ Cup opens on the proposed date, the league’s fans may already be allowed to watch inside an actual venue and not just via LED boards.
Marcial said a formal letter of request to allow fans inside the venue will be sent to the IATF next week for its review and approval.
The last time fans were able to watch an actual PBA game live, which featured sister-teams San Miguel and Magnolia, was during the opening of the 2020 PBA season, the first–and eventually last–game of the season.
A week after, the PBA closed its doors to the public when the government imposed the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) on March 17, 2020.