INTRODUCTION
The Telekom Baskets Bonn got promoted to Germany's best league in 1996. They arrived with a bang, having their sensational playoff run only be stopped by awakening giant ALBA Berlin in the finals, the team that was destined to go on to win six consecutive champioship up until 2003. Bonn followed up their amazing debut season with two more final appearances, threatening - but never breaking - the ALBA Berlin reign in that period. In 1999, 9.000 fans (speaking of basketball, it might not be much in Lithuania. But in Germany it is huge) cheered the team, that had just lost a sizzling five game finals series to ALBA Berlin, in the Bonn city centre. A year later, with a possible new arena already the subject of heated discussions, they flexed their muscles, drawing a sellout crowd for a regular season home game staged in the Kölnarena, Cologne, which holds room for 18.600 spectators. Back then, this was an european record for a single basketball game. With their fan base growing fast, the the old fashioned "Hardtberghalle", a school gym that hosted and still hosts the Telekom Baskets home games and creates room for 3.500 supporters, had simply become too small. Still, getting the cities support for building a new arena had been a hard and frustrating task for president Wolfgang Wiedlich and his crew. Politics, politics, politics, selfishness by other way smaller sports clubs (Bonn has a fourth division football club and a volleyball club that everybody has heard of, but nobody really knows whether or not it does indeed excist), and - did I mention it? - politics and of course that fast and highly efficient german bureaucracy, that makes the creation of a simple new passport take twelve and a half years, were the biggest obstacles for the club's much anticipated project. With the cities the support in doubt, the club decided to go for it on its own, something that is unheard of in german basketball history. Despite of the club's golden years being ended in 2005, when they missed the playoffs and had much less money to spend in the years thereafter, Wiedlich and crew did not let their target slip out of their eyes and finally and took decicive steps towards the project in the 2005/06 season. The first earthmover appeared im 10/2006. Ever since, the project has been making visible progress and is dated for April 2008 to be completed. A mild winter has accelarated, but various obstacles have slowed down the pace. Moving into the new arena for the 2008 playoffs, if the team participates, is still targeted, but in slight doubt.
THE ARENA
Holding a maximum of 6.000 spectators, the new arena is still compact and tight, which should mix up for a good atmosphere. The costs were estimated to stand at 15.000.000 Euros, but expect it to be rather 16 or 16.5 nowadays. There will be a standing area for fans behind one basket. The rest will be all seats. This is a monofunctional basketball-only arena, something very rare. Of course you can stage a chess tournament on the basketball court, if you feel the need to do so. But that doesn't make it multifunctional. The Telekom Baskets hold all the rights. Expect them to sell the rights for various basketball occasions, such as national team games.
The whole arena complex consists of following elements:
PICTURES
The Telekom Baskets Bonn got promoted to Germany's best league in 1996. They arrived with a bang, having their sensational playoff run only be stopped by awakening giant ALBA Berlin in the finals, the team that was destined to go on to win six consecutive champioship up until 2003. Bonn followed up their amazing debut season with two more final appearances, threatening - but never breaking - the ALBA Berlin reign in that period. In 1999, 9.000 fans (speaking of basketball, it might not be much in Lithuania. But in Germany it is huge) cheered the team, that had just lost a sizzling five game finals series to ALBA Berlin, in the Bonn city centre. A year later, with a possible new arena already the subject of heated discussions, they flexed their muscles, drawing a sellout crowd for a regular season home game staged in the Kölnarena, Cologne, which holds room for 18.600 spectators. Back then, this was an european record for a single basketball game. With their fan base growing fast, the the old fashioned "Hardtberghalle", a school gym that hosted and still hosts the Telekom Baskets home games and creates room for 3.500 supporters, had simply become too small. Still, getting the cities support for building a new arena had been a hard and frustrating task for president Wolfgang Wiedlich and his crew. Politics, politics, politics, selfishness by other way smaller sports clubs (Bonn has a fourth division football club and a volleyball club that everybody has heard of, but nobody really knows whether or not it does indeed excist), and - did I mention it? - politics and of course that fast and highly efficient german bureaucracy, that makes the creation of a simple new passport take twelve and a half years, were the biggest obstacles for the club's much anticipated project. With the cities the support in doubt, the club decided to go for it on its own, something that is unheard of in german basketball history. Despite of the club's golden years being ended in 2005, when they missed the playoffs and had much less money to spend in the years thereafter, Wiedlich and crew did not let their target slip out of their eyes and finally and took decicive steps towards the project in the 2005/06 season. The first earthmover appeared im 10/2006. Ever since, the project has been making visible progress and is dated for April 2008 to be completed. A mild winter has accelarated, but various obstacles have slowed down the pace. Moving into the new arena for the 2008 playoffs, if the team participates, is still targeted, but in slight doubt.
THE ARENA
Holding a maximum of 6.000 spectators, the new arena is still compact and tight, which should mix up for a good atmosphere. The costs were estimated to stand at 15.000.000 Euros, but expect it to be rather 16 or 16.5 nowadays. There will be a standing area for fans behind one basket. The rest will be all seats. This is a monofunctional basketball-only arena, something very rare. Of course you can stage a chess tournament on the basketball court, if you feel the need to do so. But that doesn't make it multifunctional. The Telekom Baskets hold all the rights. Expect them to sell the rights for various basketball occasions, such as national team games.
The whole arena complex consists of following elements:
- the basketball arena itself
- a training facility for the youth teams and the pro team
- a restaurant on top of the arena with a nice view over the city
- a big entrance foyer that will host business meetings etc.
- several additional components, such as a fitness club and a doctor's place
PICTURES
Comment