Sergey Kushchenko, President of the VTB United League, attended the MLBL’s main games of the season, which are being held from September 6 to 12 in St. Petersburg.
Sergey Kushchenko, president of the VTB United League:
The MLBL is a well-structured organization that has achieved tremendous success over a fairly long period, primarily in organizing and managing amateur teams. It was very difficult to do this, especially in the early stages. Now, in my discussions with league officials, I can see the strategy by which the organization will continue to develop.
These are exactly the kinds of systems that drive the development of basketball in the country. Most importantly, they engage children, students, and adults who are able and eager to play. There’s a stereotype: if a guy is tall, he must be a basketball player. But schools serve a huge number of children, and only a handful reach the professional level. That’s why systems that welcome these people and organize competitions for them are so important.
The final event last six days, with 30 teams in attendance. Organizing a tournament like this is very difficult: bringing people together, ensuring the teams can travel here, and running the competitions. Nevertheless, everything in St. Petersburg is done at a very high level—you watch the basketball, and sometimes it feels like it’s at least Super League caliber.
The main goal is to get people excited about basketball. Let them come and start playing, and organizations like the MLBL will gladly welcome them and show them how to organize competitions.
The strategy is still evolving, and not all amateur teams have been reached yet—there is still a lot of work to do, and there is plenty of room for growth.
