East Asia Super League: Bay Area Dragons boss questions Hong Kong ‘culture’ as he looks to Macau for new home
- Having initially selected Hong Kong as home, basketball franchise Bay Area Dragons are now looking to Macau as permanent base
- Franchise boss Matt Bayer has reservations about ‘culture towards sports in Hong Kong’, points to delayed construction of Kai Tak Sports Park
The man behind the fledgling East Asia Super League questioned Hong Kong’s commitment to sport, as he revealed he was looking to Macau as a permanent home for the Bay Area Dragons basketball franchise.
Matt Beyer, the league’s CEO, said he wanted to base the team, which is currently competing in the finals of the Commissioner’s Cup in the Philippines, either in or near the Greater Bay Area, but expressed reservations about the “culture towards sports in Hong Kong”.
And while not completely ruling the city out as a base in the future, Beyer pointed to the delay in the construction of the Kai Tak Sports Park to the second quarter of 2024 as another reason for looking elsewhere when it came to when choosing the a new home base.
The EASL and its predecessor, the Asia League, has a long-standing relationship with Macau, having held four tournaments in the casino hub before the coronavirus pandemic, and the basketball chief said the local government’s Sports Bureau had been supportive over the years.
“Both Hong Kong and Macau are great potential homes for the Bay Area Dragons as we look beyond this season,” said Beyer, who recently wrapped up a trip to Macau.
Hong Kong basketball star Duncan Reid, who played in the Dragons’ 99-82 win over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in Game 2 of the finals on Wednesday, said he was looking forward to having the team based in Hong Kong.
