Yad Eliyahu Arena
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| Nokia Arena | |
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| Location | 51 Yigal Allon Street Tel Aviv, Israel |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1963 |
| Renovated | 1972, 2005 |
| Expanded | 2005 |
| Owner | Tel Aviv City Council |
| Operator | Sport Palaces Ltd |
| Capacity | 11,700 |
| Tenants | |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv Israeli national basketball team |
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Yad Eliyahu Arena (Hebrew: היכל הספורט ביד אליהו ע"ש יוסף בורשטיין), officially Nokia Arena (Hebrew: היכל נוקיה) for sponsorship purposes, is a multi-purpose arena in southeastern Tel Aviv, Israel. The arena is home to the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club, a member of the Maccabi Tel Aviv sports club. The facility is the largest indoor sports arena in the country, and therefore the Ligat HaAl final four and the State Cup final four are hosted by the arena. The Israeli national basketball team also hosts most of its games there. On top of major basketball games, the arena was and is a home to various entertainment events, conventions, and major events in other sports. The Mamma Mia! international tour has played 24 shows at the venue.[1]. In sports, in has hosted a Davis Cup World Group match between Israel and France in 1989, and is destined to host the Davis Cup quarterfinals between Israel and Russia in July 2009.
Once a year the arena host the FIRST Israel robotics competition.
The arena is owned by the municipality of Tel Aviv, and managed by Sports Palaces Ltd. - a company also fully owned by the municipality (which also manages Bloomfield Stadium).
[edit] History
The arena was opened on 17 September 1963 with a game between the national basketball teams of Israel and Yugoslavia, in which the latter won 69-64.
In its early years it held a seating capacity 5,000 spectators, with just concrete stands, without any seats, and without a roof. In 1972, a second floor of tiers was built, increasing the capacity to 10,000 spectators. The concrete stands were covered by seats and the arena was covered with a roof. Further renovations through the years 2006 - 2008 modernized the arena further, added commercial facilities, and increased its capacity to 11,700. The arena hosted the FIBA European All star game in 1997 and the Euroleague final game in 1972, and the Euroleague final four in 1994 and 2004.
[edit] References
- ^ MAMMA MIA, it's here... Jerusalem Post, 7 June 2007
[edit] External links
| Preceded by 1971 Final Venue Antwerp |
FIBA European Champions Cup Final Venue 1972 |
Succeeded by Country Hall du Sart Tilman Liège |
| Preceded by Peace and Friendship Stadium Athens |
FIBA European Championships Final Venue 1994 |
Succeeded by Principe Felipe Arena Zaragoza |
| Preceded by Abdi İpekçi Arena Istanbul |
FIBA Euro All star game Venue 1997 |
Succeeded by Max Schmeling Halle Berlin |
| Preceded by Palau Sant Jordi Barcelona |
Euroleague Final Venue 2004 |
Succeeded by Olimpiisky Arena Moscow |
Coordinates: 32°3′39.41″N 34°47′28.80″E / 32.0609472°N 34.7913333°E
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