By Amy Samin<\/FONT> The directorate of the Israeli Basketball League Administration has approved its economic and professional program for the next three seasons. The goals of the meeting at which these measures were determined were: to create economic stability among the teams in the Lotto League, to improve the level of the league over the long term, and to increase the attractiveness of the league.<\/FONT> \u201cMost of the proposals were adopted, with some changes here and there,\u201d said Shimon Mizrahi<\/B>, the chairman of Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv. \u201cI think that stability has been, and continues to be, the key word in the way I do things. There\u2019s no need to get to the situation where the rules change every season; it\u2019s impossible to operate that way. Everyone will respect this decision. Obviously, the decision about the number of foreign players will affect Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, but we\u2019ll live with it. I wish everyone a successful season.\u201d<\/FONT> \u201cThe fact that people in the directorate are able to find ways of presenting their views without violence or cursing is proper. I think that the Final Four system is not sportsmanlike, and needs to be discussed again. You see what happens in Greece, in Russia, and in the N.B.A. The series are good and the arenas are full. A season doesn\u2019t need to end the way the last one did. Even though we won the championship, the system is not a good one. The fact that we reached agreement on several issues doesn\u2019t remove our objection to the Final Four.\u201d<\/FONT> Mizrahi also addressed the subject of the change in the number of foreign players. \u201cWe can bring more than four foreign players, and obviously we will. In any given game only four foreign players can appear on the roster, and that is going to create a situation in which we have two separate teams, and there will be players who will play more or fewer minutes. Since we are scheduled to play in three leagues next season, everyone will get his minutes.\u201d<\/FONT> According to the decision, starting next season there will be what is called the Israeli Rule: in every Lotto League game, each team must have at least six Israelis on their game roster and no more than four foreign players (the teams are allowed a total of eight foreign players on the team for the entire season). The teams are only allowed to register a total of fifteen players with the Israel Basketball Association for the entire season; of those, two must be players from the Israeli youth league who are qualified to play in the professional league.<\/FONT> The directorate also approved the minimum budget for teams in the Lotto League for the next three seasons, which will be 5 million NIS for the coming season, 5.5 million for the following season, and 5.75 million for the season after that (2013 \u2013 2014). Of those amounts, 75% must be allocated to the gross salaries of the players and coaches.<\/FONT> The decision also provides for the continuation of the formula that states that the team that finishes first in the second league will advance to the Lotto League so long as the team meets the minimum financial requirements. The team that finishes in last place in the Lotto League will move down to the second league; however, if it has the financial capability it may retain its place in the Lotto League if it makes financial compensation.<\/FONT> Also changed was the system of games. At the end of two rounds of games in the regular season, the league will be divided into an upper division and a lower division in which the playoff games will occur. The Final Four system will continue in 2011 \u2013 2012, though during the season further discussions on the subject will be held.<\/FONT> The directorate of the Israeli League Administration understands the vital importance of the conversion of the league into one with a strong financial and professional background. The decisions made were reached with the intention of providing economic and professional stability for the long term of the next three years.<\/FONT> Even before the meeting, the chairman of the League Administration met with Shay Shani, the chairman of the Israel Basketball Association, and received his good wishes for the coming year and the program. Shani requested, and received, Avner Koppel\u2019s promise to preserve the good sportsmanship and position of the second league.<\/FONT>
<\/P>
<\/P>
<\/P>
<\/P>
<\/P>
<\/P>
<\/P>
<\/P>
<\/P>
<\/P>
<\/P>