Contributed by Lenny Lim

December 5, 2008 – Indonesian basketball fans based in Singapore will now have something to look forward to as the Singapore Slingers take on Indonesia's Satria Muda Britama this Sunday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in the Singapore Challenge Series.

The Slingers are set to continue on a high after attracting a record 8,500 fans last week to a special doubleheader of the Singapore Challenge Series, where the first ever Philippines Basketball Association (PBA) league game was held in Singapore between San Miguel and Talk ‘N Text, followed by a Singapore Slingers vs Pampanga Buddies showdown, when the Slingers romped to a 100-72 victory.

The unprecedented success of the doubleheader, attracting the biggest ever crowd for a basketball game in the history of the Singapore Indoor Stadium, saw the presence of senior executives from the Singapore Sports Council and tycoons from other countries in Southeast Asia gather for an afternoon of heart-thumping action on the court.

More importantly, it was a testament to the viability of the planned ASEAN basketball league in 2009 as the piping hot ticket sales reflected the strong demand among fans for basketball with an Asian flavour.

The Slingers next host Indonesian professional team Satria Muda Britama at the Singapore Indoor Stadium at 4pm this Sunday (7 December).

The Singapore outfit eased to a comfortable 75 – 52 victory over Satria Muda Britama in Indonesia two weeks ago, but Slingers head coach Frank Arsego is not resting on his laurels and cautions against complacency.

“Although we are on a winning streak, every game is a new game and we are not going to be over-confident,” said Frank Arsego.

“We will go into the court to give our best and play an entertaining game for our fans who have come to support us. We believe that this is what the fans deserve and we are gonna make sure they get their money's worth.”

This latest game is the 8th game of the Singapore Challenge Series, where the Slingers have a 7-1 win-loss record, losing their only game of the series to the Sydney Spirit.

Managing Director for the Singapore Slingers, Bob Turner, who is confident of attracting a huge crowd once again, explains, “We recognise that there is a huge Indonesian community in Singapore that loves basketball. The idea of this Singapore Challenge Series serves as a warm up to our ASEAN basketball league ambitions and inviting teams from around the region seems a very logical choice.”

“Having attracted 8,500 spectators to the previous game which the spectators thoroughly enjoyed, we hope to play another entertaining game for the fans. The atmosphere is definitely comparable to the NBA.”

One fan who is certainly looking forward to the action this Sunday is Siti Chandra, a domestic helper who has been working in Singapore for four years. She said, “I used to watch soccer and basketball back in my village and we really enjoyed it. This Sunday is my day off and my employer, Mr Michael Sukorno, is treating my three friends and I to this game and we are extremely excited about it.”

Tickets for the game between the Singapore Slingers and Indonesia's Satria Muda Britama are available at all Sistic outlets. Ticket prices are $16, $12, and $6.