Basketball: Group may need to extend deadline

The Steven Adams-autographed singlet that is part of the prize package in the basketball lottery....
The Steven Adams-autographed singlet that is part of the prize package in the basketball lottery. Photo supplied.
The group hoping to raise at least $100,000 for Basketball Otago to avoid liquidation may need a time extension.

Keep Basketball in Otago spokeswoman Angela Ruske had hoped the group would be in a position by the middle of January to know whether its campaign would be successful.

That deadline may have to be pushed out to late January after initial sales for its online promotion have proved slower than expected during the holiday period.

BBO has debts of just under $179,000 and ceased trading in late October. Members voted against appointing a liquidator last month to allow Keep Basketball in Otago time to get its main fundraising drive up and running.

The group is selling digital copies of photographs at www.keepbasketballinotago.co.nz and, upon purchase, customers are automatically entered into a draw to win a trip for two to Los Angeles to see New Zealand NBA player Steven Adams play.

The prize package includes an Adams-autographed Oklahoma City Thunder singlet - which arrived in the post yesterday - four nights' accommodation, vouchers for theme parks visits and a Universal Studio tour.

The promotion went live on Christmas Eve but sales have been sluggish.

''It has not been going that great,'' Ruske said.

''The timing is bad. I'm a wee bit disappointed ... but it is just a matter of waiting for this Christmas break to end and then we are going to start pushing it.

''If we push too soon and people are still away on holiday, it is going to lose some momentum.

''At the moment you can only buy one photo at a time and have to keep logging back in again. The website people are not back until January 12, so we are just trying to work out whether it is best to push now or when we can get multiple sales.''

One of the plans is to sell the sales promotion ''in one of the malls in town and try to do some sales that way''.

However, while sales have not been as positive as Ruske would like, she said the pledge wall was looking more ''successful''.

''We have $30,000 of sponsorship pledged at this point - we are hoping for $50,000.''

BBO will meet on February 10 when delegates will vote whether to proceed with liquidation.

 

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