The next generation of basketball fan experiences will accompany the 2014 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four to the capital of fashion with the Fan Zone at Milan’s famous Piazza del Duomo from May 15 to 18.
This season’s Fan Zone will be the biggest and best to date, with more participating partners, more displays, more entertainment, more contests and more basketball than ever before, creating a once-in-a-lifetime experience for both die-hard Euroleague fans and casual passers-by alike.
The Fan Zone will dominate Piazza del Duomo with four basketball courts, bringing a feel for Europe’s best basketball to an area built in the 14th century! Last year, more than 50,000 fans partied at the Fan Zone in London’s Trafalgar Square, and knowing how strongly Milanese feel about basketball, that number should only grow.
Over the entire Final Four weekend, the Fan Zone will be open from 10:00 until evening with activities running nonstop. At any given time, the Fan Zone will be rocking with 3×3 tournaments, slam dunk contests, three-point shootouts, games featuring sports stars and celebrities, charity events, junior competitions, cheerleaders, dancers, DJs, music and much, much more.
As a prelude to the fun, the Fan Zone will be the scene Thursday of a very special One Team celebration as One Team Ambassadors from the Final Four teams, Alex Abrines of FC Barcelona, Salah Mejri of Real Madrid and David Blu of Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv and One Team Global Ambassador Kyle Hines of CSKA Moscow will be joined by Nicolo Melli, the One Team Ambassador for local team EA7 Emporio Armani Milano, for a One Team session with 20 Special Olympics athletes.
Also Thursday, for the first time ever, the Fan Zone will play host to both the EFES Awards Ceremony and to the 2014 Turkish Airlines Final Four Opening Press Conference, allowing fans to see their favorite stars from the season in the middle of Piazza del Duomo!
On Friday, One Team will take center stage again on the Turkish Airlines Main Court as Euroleague legends, Milan football and rugby stars, representatives from the NBA and participants from the different One Milan partners – EA7 Emporio Armani, Milan Onlus foundation, FC Internazionale and CUS Rugby – come together for a multisport session.
Among the many other attractions fans can look forward to are the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Experience Area, where fans can take part in various games and win prizes; the Efesta Entertainment area, where the official cheerleaders of the Final Four will perform regularly, meet with fans and take pictures, and there will be a bar where fans can enjoy the Mediterranean’s most consumed beer; the Armani Junior Hoops Area, where six hoops and a satellite court are set up for children of the Armani junior program to play in a series of games; New Era’s stand, where the official Euroleague partner will have a dominant presence and fans can participate in games and buy caps of their favorites teams; Euroleague merchandizing spots and social media activities.
Other special activities scheduled include a Legend Meet and Greet on Saturday morning with Euroleague stars playing with, posing for pictures with and signing autographs for fans; basketball clinics; a stop on the 2014 Trophy Tour, sponsored by adidas, which also has its own court and basketball shoes to try; a visit from the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup truck; and the Armani Junior Kids Activity, which will feature former Euroleague legends teaming up with 100 kids from the Armani Junior Program to dribble basketballs from Via Manzoni 31, one of Armani’s symbols of the city, to the Armani Junior Hoops Area at the Fan Zone.
