10.000+ arenas in Europe

[robbe]

This topic should get interesting with the Euroleague setting its goals on better organisation and structure, going for bigger arenas and bigger money. So, to make it short, my question is: Which clubs could participate in the Euroleague, if the 10.000 arena minimum standard would start into action today? I did a bit of research, but I'm sure there are big holes still. Please feel free to add everything, including clubs and cities that are planning to build new, big arenas in the future or are already in the process of building them. Cities which have big cities but no top basketball club might also brought up.


E N G L A N D
10.000+ Arenas that are currently not being used by basketball clubs on a regular basis
London: O2 Arena (20.000) – Opened 1999; London – Jordi – Euroleague. One thing doesn’t fit here. I don’t think we’ll ever witness it. Except Final Four of course.

--------------------

F R A N C E
10.000+ Arenas that are currently not being used by basketball clubs on a regular basis
Paris: Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy (17.000) – Opened 1984; Host of the 1999 European basketball championship. Basketball in Paris in the last decade has been a nightmare story as to my understanding. Not quite comparable to London, but they have certainly been struggling to establish a top club in the French capital.

--------------------

G E R M A N Y
2008/09 Euroleague participants with 10.000+ arenas [1]
Berlin: O2 Arena (15.000) – Opened 2008; Possible new home of ALBA. ALBA has yet to officially confirm that they are going to play there next season, but even if they don't (which is rather not probable imo), they'll surely move in there once the 10.000 minimum rule starts to click in.

10.000+ Arenas that are currently not being used by basketball clubs on a regular basis
Cologne: Kölnarena (18.600) – Opened 1998; Cologne 99ers, Telekom Baskets Bonn and even Düsseldorf Giants could theoretically play there, as it is well in range. However, Kölnarena is starting to make profit for a club at about 9.000 spectators, so I guess it would be a financial risk for all of these three teams. This number for Basketball game on a Wednesday or Thursday in Germany is hard to accomplish. Highly improbable.
Mannheim: SAP Arena (13.600) – Opened 2005; Frankfurt is only 70km away, but the Skyliners hosting Euroleague games there is utopical imo.
Hamburg: Color-Line Arena (16.000) – Opened 2002; Hamburg has from time to time half-heartedly tried to re-establish a BBL club in the city, but it hasn't happened yet.

--------------------

G R E E C E
2008/09 Euroleague participants currently playing in 10.000+ arenas [2]
Athens: OAKA (19.250) – Opened 1995; Home of Panathinaikos. Host of the 2004 Olympic basketball tournament.
Piraeus: Peace and Friendship Stadium/SEF (12.171) – Opened 1985; Home of Olympiacos.

--------------------

I S R A E L
2008/09 Euroleague participants currently playing in 10.000+ arenas [1]
Tel Aviv: Nokia Arena/Yad Eliyahu (11.700) – Opened 1963; Home of Maccabi.

--------------------

I T A L Y
2008/09 Euroleague participants currently playing in 10.000+ arenas [2]
Milan: DatchForum (11.200) – Opened 1990; Home of Armani Jeans Milano.
Rome: PalaLottomatica (10.500) – Opened 1960, restructured 1999; Home of Lottomatica Roma. Host of the 1960 Olympic basketball tournament.

2008/09 Lega A participants currently playing in 10.000+ arenas
Pesaro: Adriatic Arena (10.323) – Opened 1996; Home of Scavolini Pesaro.

--------------------

L I T H U A N I A
2008/09 Euroleague participants currently playing in 10.000+ arenas [1]
Vilnius: Siemens Arena (11.000) – Opened 2004; Home of Rytas.

--------------------

R U S S I A
10.000+ Arenas that are currently not being used by basketball clubs on a regular basis
Moscow: Khodynka Arena (13.000) – Opened 2006. Host of the Euroleague 07/08 regular season game between CSKA and TAU.
St.Petersburg: Sportivno-Koncertnii Kompleks (25.000)

--------------------

S E R B I A
10.000+ Arenas that are currently not being used by basketball clubs on a regular basis
Belgrade: Beograd Arena (20.000) – Opened 2004; Host of the 2005 European basketball championship.

--------------------

S P A I N
2008/09 Euroleague participants currently playing in 10.000+ arenas [3]
Badalona: Pavelló Olímpic de Badalona (12.500) – Opened 1992; Home of Joventut.
Madrid: Palacio Vistalegre (14.000) – Opened 2000; Home of Real.
Malaga: Palacio de los Deportes Martin Carpena (10.500?) – Opened 1999; Home of Unicaja. Information about arena capacity differs between 7.900 and 10.500. According to ballineurope.com, they average 8692 spectators for home games in the Euroleague. Someone care to clarify?

2008/09 ACB participants currently playing in 10.000+ arenas
Madrid: Telofonica Arena Madrid (11.000) – Opened 2003; Home of Estudiantes.
Zaragoza: Pabellón Príncipe Felipe (11.000) – Opened 1990; Home of CAI Zaragoza.
San Sebastián: Plaza de Illumbe (10.500) – Opened 1998. Home of Bruesa GBC.

10.000+ Arenas that are currently not being used by basketball clubs on a regular basis
Barcelona: Palau Sant Jordi (17.000) – Opened 1990. The place where FC Barcelona won the Euroleague in 2003.

--------------------

T U R K E Y
2008/09 Euroleague participants currently playing in 10.000+ arenas [2]
Istanbul: Abdi İpekçi Arena (11.500) – Opened 1986; Home of Fenerbahçe Ülker and Efes Pilsen.

10.000+ Arenas that are currently not being used by basketball clubs on a regular basis
Istanbul: Sinan Erdem Dome (22.500) – Opened 2003; Did host Turkish national team basketball games in the past.

--------------------

U K R A I N E
2008/09 Superleague participants currently playing in 10.000+ arenas
Mariupol: Sportkompleks Illichivets (12.000) – Opened 2007; Home of Azovmash Mariupol. They also have the very small Azovmash Arena, but they host ULEB-Cup games in the big one, don't they? Other sources have the capacity at 7.000 by the way ...

--------------------


Some questions: I recall Picek posting model graphics of a planned big arena in Zagreb. Any developments? And what about the 10.000-arena in Lyon?

[Buducnost PG]

Some questions: I recall Picek posting model graphics of a planned big arena in Zagreb. Any developments? And what about the 10.000-arena in Lyon?

Zagreb Arena will be ready until January for the WC in handball. It will have a capacity of 17.000. And they will also have one arena in Split of 13.000. The one in Zadar will have 9.000.

[Vasileios Spanoulis]

I just researched this and there are tons of them. Germany has 22 alone.

[robbe]

Zagreb Arena will be ready until January for the WC in handball. It will have a capacity of 17.000. And they will also have one arena in Split of 13.000. The one in Zadar will have 9.000.

Thanks. The one in Split will be finished in near future too?

I just researched this and there are tons of them. Germany has 22 alone.

But probably only few of those 22 are of interest for a Euroleague related topic.

[Vasileios Spanoulis]

Thanks. The one in Split will be finished in near future too?


But probably only few of those 22 are of interest for a Euroleague related topic.

Well actually in Greece Panionios and AEK could be added to your list as it stands now.

[elaj]

There will be an arena for 12000 people also in Ljubljana, Slovenia... they should start building it soon, this year they say. It should be done in time, so Olimpija Ljubljana will match the requirements of the Euroleague in the future.

As I heard, from 2009/2010 season on there will be a requirement for teams to have an arena for at least 10.000. The teams which won't have the arena by then but will have an arena for at least 5.000 people and they will have building of new arena for at least 10.000 people in process, will be able to participate, but the new arena will have to be done in three seasons.

[House]

Zalgiris arena will be built soon. It will fit 15000 humans

[Iverson.A]

The Jerusalem ARENA Should be build any second after picking a new mayor this november,
it's a 5k seat with an option for 11.

Such a disappointment,
Jerusalem's mayor Ori Luplianski Promised an arena, 3-4 years ago, and he never started building it,
in start he decleared it will be a 15k seats, he went down to 10.. now 5...
such a disappointment.

I HATE HIM.

[damelo]

For the new ASVEL Arena in Lyon-Villeurbane, I think they planned to have it for 2010 when it started.

For Bercy, when Paris played games there last two years, it was in 14000 places configuration, and it happened to be financially beneficiary with an average 7500+ spectators, for a club which hardly fulfills a 4500- arena as Coubertin.

Anyway, I think many clubs in france will have extension or new arenas to fill the new rules of the lnb for around 2010, which will require 5000 seats arenas. Well, that was the plan, but it regulrly changes.

[Gruebler]

Germany
Numbers/List according to stadionwelt.de

Berlin, o2-world: approx. 17.000
Cologne, Köln-Arena: 18.500
Hamburg, Colorline-Arena: 13.000
Bremen, AWD-Dome, 14.000 (Potential clubs who played there at least once: Bremerhaven, Oldenburg)
Mannheim, SAP-Arena, 13.600* / 14.500**
Düsseldorf, ISS Dome, 13.400* (not all seated??)
Hanover, TUI Arena, 10.750* / 13.500**
Kiel, Ostseehalle, 10.250** (not all seated??)
Halle (Westphalia), Gerry-Weber-Stadion, 13.000** (I think Paderborn? played there once)
Essen, König-Pilsner-ARENA, 10.200** (not all seated)

* Seats for icehockey
** Seats for handball

[jugoplastika]

The one in Split will be finished in near future too?

Yes, untill the 30th December.

[KWSN-Men]

Zalgiris arena will be built soon. It will fit 15000 humans

How about other species?

[qiangdade]

El participant Panionios plays in 14,500 Elliniko Arena

[jugoplastika]

How about other species?

Resistance is futile. They`ll be assimilated.

[KWSN-Men]

Resistance is futile. They`ll be assimilated.

All your arena are belong to us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qItugh-fFgg