Susigengi is currently preparing for the World Basketball Championships, which will start in Japan at the end of August. The team plays four preparatory matches. On Friday, Finland will face Lithuania in Tampere, and on Wednesday in Espoo, they will face Estonia. Before the Games, there are still away games against Lithuania and Latvia.
The CEO of the Basketball Association Kati Packalénin according to Tampere Areena, the all-time attendance record for Finnish basketball will be set, even though it is “only” a national match preparing for the tournament. Before Friday, almost 13,000 tickets had been sold for the match, and on Friday the event was said to be sold out.
Basketball Association according to the release Susijeng’s previous all-time audience record is from 2017, when 12,327 spectators watched the Finland-Greece match of the European Championship home games in Helsinki.
There is still room for Wednesday, but Susijengi has sold out Espoo Areena before.
– If the old signs are true, the best marketing is done by Susijengi itself and after Friday’s game it will start happening again.
Packalén reminds that the sources of income for sports federations are very limited, which emphasizes the importance of the training games played in Tampere and Espoo even more. Still, there are only two home games.
Games preparing for tournaments are usually an exchange of home and away games with selected practice opponents.
– The calendar is made in a certain way and the coaching management decides the necessary number of training matches around which the preparation is planned.
Susigengi will pay for the race trip with its own brand
The basketball association’s budget for the World Cup held in Japan is 350,000 euros. In addition to the race trip, this budget also includes travel costs for, for example, training matches.
– Yes, travel expenses are the largest part of the national team’s expenses. Now, especially when we got to Japan, it had its own ups and downs just because of the destination country.
Despite the large expenses, it is extremely important that the prestigious status once achieved is maintained.
According to Packalén, Susijengi is in a happy situation, because the team’s strong brand and long-term partnerships provide security for future planning. The international basketball association Fiba does not distribute money to the participating countries in the same way as, for example, the international football association Fifa. This year, for the first time, however, we are talking about a nominal compensation.
– Basically, the countries do not receive any income. The system that football has is completely absent in basketball. No money is made at the World Cup, so the only sources of income are the preparatory games.
The same also applies to players’ fees.
– The union does not have remuneration models.
The situation is very exceptional, as both men’s and women’s national teams are paid only per diems.
– Talks also do this for the players. It is extraordinary in the big world that world stars come and want to come and play for free.
The wolf gang has a place in the hearts of players.
– This is something we are extremely proud of, and we do not take it for granted in any way.
The national team’s support is priceless for Finnish basketball
– Susigengi pays for itself with its own brand – and a little more, which also helps the other products of the Basketball Association.
In the case of the basketball association, we are talking about collective funding.
When Susijengi is on the surface, it shows in the general popularity of the sport, but also in the number of enthusiasts
– This was seen, for example, in the 2014 World Cup in Spain and the 2017 European Championship. Success trickles down to the fans, which the clubs benefit from.
However, clubs often run into challenges in the form of conditions and resources when trying to meet the increased demand.
In addition to the number of fans, it is also about the audience of domestic basketball matches.
– There has been a lot of talk in the direction of the clubs, that they should know how to take advantage of the upcoming World Cup, next year’s European Championships for under-18s in Tampere, and the home games organized in 2025.
The cooperation between the association and the clubs plays a key role. In the growth of domestic basketball, all parts, i.e. the association, clubs and national leagues, have their own role. At the same time, the importance of local teams and players to the public is also emphasized.
– Lauri Markkanen is a big idol and role model, but he is quite far away. The fan culture should be turned into such that one wants to be closer to role models.
In Packalén’s opinion, it would be important for young fans and the public to go and see players playing in Finland, who are interesting to the public.
– What added value does the game event bring to the fans and is it possible to create an emotional bond through the experience in such a way that they want to come again?
Utilizing the phenomenon built around the wolf gang is a matter of continuity. The association does not have ready-made keys, but the cooperation with Susijeng’s brand creates an excellent framework for the Finnish ball culture.
Matches preparing for the World Cup:
4.8. at 20: Finland–Lithuania, Tampere
9.8. at 18:30: Finland–Estonia, Espoo
14.8. at 19:30: Lithuania–Finland, Klaipeda
16.8. at 19:30: Latvia–Finland, Riga
The opening group of the World Championships in Okinawa, Japan:
25.8. Finland–Australia
27.8. Japan–Finland
29.8. Germany–Finland
Corrected at 19:50. Kati Packalén is the CEO of the Basketball Association, not the president.