BASKETBALL’s home for a home plan has just been foreclosed.
And that could be the least of the sport’s worries.
The Barbados Amateur Basketball Association (BABA) is cancelling their grand $480 000 raffle of a new, fully furnished house at The Villages, Coverley and a 2009 sedan just days before the big draw was set to take place.
Word of the BABA’s decision came via e-mail two days ago following what the governing body deemed a general “lack of support from the venture which has resulted in poor ticket sales”.
But further investigations by MIDWEEK SPORT have revealed concerns within the executive council over the raffle’s original viability after several members of the 13-man body were only informed of the raffle after the proposal was set to be implemented.
“The executive didn’t know the details of the raffle at the beginning, but as it started to turn sour things began to unravel,” said a well-placed source in a telephone interview.
“One of the council members even went to see the house but was told he had to have some statement from the bank to go inside and see it, and this is a house they were supposed to be raffling.”
According to the source, the raffle was originally the idea of veteran player Rodney Ollivierre, who approached the executive with a means of generating funds to build an indoor facility to house basketball.
Having not been elected to serve on the council, Ollivierre was then appointed the BABA’s marketing officer charged with the duty of overseeing the raffle’s execution.
The launch came off without a hitch though, conducted via a press briefing at the Sugar Cane Mall, Roebuck Street, back in September.
But the raffle, slated to be drawn today, suffered from poor promotion and even worse ticket sales.
“The BABA could be on the hook for about $10 000,” added the source.
The initiative was expected to raise $1 million, with the BABA slated to receive 30 cents on the dollar for each $20 ticket sold.
However, second-year president Carlos Moore has refuted such a high refund bill, though admitting that paying back for sold tickets would present a bit of a challenge in terms of tracking down all of the holders.
“The significant issue right now is just the refund of the tickets and some minor operation costs as far as having the tickets made,” said Moore.
“It’s not an analysis we have completed with any degree of accuracy, but I wouldn’t say it’s $10 000 but obviously there are some obligations we have to meet.”
