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Huang spells out plans for Chinese league
Source: Agencies |
February 24, 2010, Wednesday
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HAVING bought a chunk of the Cleveland Cavaliers and introduced little league baseball to China, Huang 'Kenny' Jianhua now aims to transform professional basketball in his homeland.
As an investor in China's National Basketball League, Huang says he'll introduce cutting-edge management practices adopted from England's Premier League football, the NFL, and other leading overseas competitions.
The new NBL also plans to heavily promote homegrown talent, distinguishing itself from the dominant Chinese Basketball Association, where 19 of the 20 top scorers last year were foreigners.
"This is the first time private enterprise has been given the chance to reform a Chinese league," Huang said yesterday.
Huang had been relatively unknown outside business circles before becoming the public face of an investment group that last year snapped up 15 percent of LeBron James' Cavaliers.
He has pledged to inject several million dollars per year into a new Chinese youth league, and also partners Chicago-based sports marketer Marc Ganis as China business representative for the New York Yankees.
While the CBA has produced talent such as Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, the league has yet to truly take off with the domestic audience.
Huang says the timing of his new venture fits with a new government emphasis on broader public participation in sport. Having invested heavily in new venues, local officials are now anxious for fans to fill seats, he says.
Huang's company, QSL Sports, has signed a long-term contract to manage the league together with the CBA.
The NBL began as the semiprofessional lower tier of the 17-team CBA, but was cut loose and became independent after the CBA abolished promoting and demoting teams based on performance. The NBA had reportedly been seeking to buy the NBL, but Chinese regulators were wary of an influx of foreign professionals stifling local players.
Huang says he will reinstate relegation and promotion, grouping the NBL's clubs into an eight-team upper tier, and a 10-team lower one.
Each season, the top two teams from the bottom will change places with the bottom two from the top.
As an investor in China's National Basketball League, Huang says he'll introduce cutting-edge management practices adopted from England's Premier League football, the NFL, and other leading overseas competitions.
The new NBL also plans to heavily promote homegrown talent, distinguishing itself from the dominant Chinese Basketball Association, where 19 of the 20 top scorers last year were foreigners.
"This is the first time private enterprise has been given the chance to reform a Chinese league," Huang said yesterday.
Huang had been relatively unknown outside business circles before becoming the public face of an investment group that last year snapped up 15 percent of LeBron James' Cavaliers.
He has pledged to inject several million dollars per year into a new Chinese youth league, and also partners Chicago-based sports marketer Marc Ganis as China business representative for the New York Yankees.
While the CBA has produced talent such as Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, the league has yet to truly take off with the domestic audience.
Huang says the timing of his new venture fits with a new government emphasis on broader public participation in sport. Having invested heavily in new venues, local officials are now anxious for fans to fill seats, he says.
Huang's company, QSL Sports, has signed a long-term contract to manage the league together with the CBA.
The NBL began as the semiprofessional lower tier of the 17-team CBA, but was cut loose and became independent after the CBA abolished promoting and demoting teams based on performance. The NBA had reportedly been seeking to buy the NBL, but Chinese regulators were wary of an influx of foreign professionals stifling local players.
Huang says he will reinstate relegation and promotion, grouping the NBL's clubs into an eight-team upper tier, and a 10-team lower one.
Each season, the top two teams from the bottom will change places with the bottom two from the top.
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