The European Basketball Players Union is broadening horizons

The Euroleague Players Association (ELPA) takes a step forward in its strategy as a union. ELPA aims to establish itself as a comprehensive organization for the protection of players’ rights and go beyond mere defense of their labor framework. The athlete’s health, their physical and mental integrity, and everything related to the player’s well-being become priorities.

For ELPA’s Director Manager, Bostjan Nachbar: "performance and recovery are two of the most important issues in a player’s professional career, as they can improve and prolong it. That’s why four years ago we created the Performance Advisory Council with top-level experts worldwide who assist us with their research, experiences, and scientific data so that our members can have more knowledge and support where they need it."

This quality leap in their services’ performance must be reflected in the improvement of the product that ultimately reaches the fans. ELPA is preparing a series of activities related to players’ health, which should also result in an improvement in their quality of life and, consequently, an enhancement in the quality of the competition.

"We want to connect basketball people, whether from the Euroleague or not," says Nachbar, "because our challenge is the same: to help players have better careers, better games, and thus a better product for the fans." In this sense, Nachbar adds, "we are in the process of integrating Eurocup players and have had many meetings with players from this competition this season, but it’s too early to say more. What I can say is that players want ELPA to protect them, and I’m sure it will do so in the future."

The Euroleague Players Association is a union that represents all players in the competition, with representation in each of the participating teams. ELPA was founded in 2018 out of necessity among professional basketball workers to protect and provide stability to their job situation.