The Basketball Africa League (BAL) and New Fortress Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NFE), a global energy infrastructure company founded to help accelerate the world’s transition to clean energy, today announced an extension of their marketing partnership that will see NFE support the BAL’s social impact initiatives throughout the league’s 2023 season.  The extension also sees NFE continue as a Foundational Partner of the BAL and the league’s Official Energy Partner.

The third BAL season tipped off on Saturday, March 11 in Dakar, Senegal, and once again features the top 12 club teams from 12 African countries playing a total of 38 games in Dakar; Cairo, Egypt and Kigali, Rwanda over three months in 2023.  The season continues today when Cote d’Ivoire’s Abidjan Basketball Club takes on defending champion Tunisia’s US Monastir at 4 p.m. GMT on Canal+, ESPN (sub-Saharan Africa), the NBA App (https://apo-opa.info/3leQJYr), www.NBA.com and www.BAL.NBA.com.

NFE and the BAL will collaborate on several social impact initiatives throughout the season focused on female empowerment and environmental sustainability, including:

• As part of BAL4HER, the league’s platform for advancing gender equity in the African sports ecosystem and celebrating women in the sports industry who serve as role models to young women across the continent, NFE and the BAL will bring together 50 young women from local universities and basketball organizations in each host city to participate in career development workshops alongside female mentors from the sports industry.  The participants will also attend BAL games.
• NFE and the BAL will continue their “Threes for Trees” campaign, which donates trees to non-profit environmental organizations across Africa.

• NFE becomes the Presenting Partner of the BAL’s Ubuntu Trophy, which is awarded to an individual or organization that has made an impact on the local community during the BAL season.  Previous winners include Hichem Benayad-Cherif, who played for Algeria’s Groupement Sportif des Pétroliers during the inaugural BAL season in 2021, and Rwanda Energy Groups’ Jean-Jacques Nshobozwabyosenumukiza. 

We are delighted to renew our collaboration with NFE to positively impact young women, the environment and local communities across Africa throughout our third season,” said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall.  “As a Foundational Partner, NFE has been instrumental in helping establish the BAL as a world-class professional basketball league that champions youth empowerment and social responsibility.  We look forward to continuing to work together to extend the BAL’s impact well beyond the lines of the court.”

We’re proud to continue our marketing partnership with the BAL and help expand the league’s impact off the court,” said Wes Edens, Chairman and CEO of NFE.  “These initiatives have a real impact on youth across Africa, furthering our efforts to promote gender equity and environmental sustainability as NFE works to accelerate the world’s transition to cleaner, more affordable energy.”

The 2023 BAL season is reaching fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages through free-to-air and paid TV broadcast partnerships with the African Union of Broadcasting, American Forces Network (AFN), Canal+, ESPN (sub-Saharan Africa), NBA TV, Tencent, TV5 Monde, Visionary TV and Voice of America (VOA), and livestreaming on the NBA App (https://apo-opa.info/3leQJYr), www.NBA.com and www.BAL.NBA.com.  NFE, Rwanda Development Board, NIKE, Jordan Brand and Wilson return as BAL Foundational Partners.  The league’s roster of world-class marketing partners also includes Hennessy and Envol City.

The 12 BAL teams have once again been divided into two conferences – the Sahara Conference and the Nile Conference.  Each conference will play a 15-game group phase during which each team will face the five other teams in its conference once.  The Sahara Conference’s group phase is taking place at the Dakar Arena from March 11 through March 21.  The Nile Conference group phase will take place at Hassan Mostafa Indoor Sports Complex in Cairo, Egypt, from April 26 – May 6.  The top four teams from each conference will qualify for the BAL Playoffs, which will feature a single-elimination tournament and Finals at BK Arena in Rwanda from May 21-27.