Increased attendance marks PBA Fiesta Cup

MANILA, Philippines – The championship series Barangay Ginebra won was a no.1 hit. Gate-attendance reports added the entire tournament was a blockbuster as well. The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) recorded a marked increase in gate attendance in the Smart-PBA Fiesta Conference which was capped by a 122-percent hike in attendance in the best-of-seven title series won by the most league’s most popular ball club. In a report based on ticket attendance released by the PBA, a total of 79,150 paying spectators watched the full seven games played by Ginebra and first-time finalist Air21. A record 22,902 were at the Araneta Coliseum to watch Game Seven. The seven-game total was 122 percent higher than the Fiesta Conference title series a year ago which Alaska won over Talk ’N Text also in seven games. The Alaska-Talk ’N Text series drew only a total of 35,700 patrons. The average attendance per game in the Ginebra-Air21 series was 11,307. But the championship round wasn’t the only stage that drew the crowds to the PBA venues. For the entire Fiesta Conference, the PBA attracted 313,220 in-venue spectators, up 53 percent from last season’s Fiesta Conference (204,882). The average game-day crowd also had a significant increase from 3,659 last year to 5,400 this year. “Definitely, the league couldn't have achieved another milestone without the support of the PBA fans," said PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios, who had just completed his first season as the league’s chief. “And for that, we express our heartfelt thanks for their all-out support through all these years." Barrios also mentioned his appreciation for the support the PBA Board had given him led by outgoing chairman Tony Chua of Red Bull. Attendance in the eliminations totaled 199,305 in 45 games or an increase of 37 percent from last year. The average crowd per playing day was 4,429 or up by 31 percent from 2007. In the best-of-seven semifinals, 34,765 paying fans trooped to the PBA venues, 44 percent higher than the number in the same stage of the tournament last year. – GMANews.TV