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Let's use this thread to discuss one of the major issues that always comes up about the Greek A1 League...the issue of the arenas and the infrastructure. Personally, I think people greatly exaggerate about how poor the Greek club's arenas are.

OAKA Indoor Arena - Panathinaikos Athens B.C.

(Capacity: 19,250)

Helliniko Olympic Indoor Arena - AEK Athens B.C.



(Capacity: 15,000 - only 8,500 seats are currently in use)

Peace and Friendship Arena SEF - Olympiacos Piraeus B.C.



(Capacity: 14,905)



It could hold a lot more with the seats around the court added (16,000 - 17,000), but they don't use that configuration hardly ever at all anymore.



The first pic below is the 16,000 - 17,000 configuration. But like I said, that is hardly ever used nowadays.

PAOK Sports Arena - PAOK Thessaloniki B.C.

(Capacity: 8,700)

Alexandreio Melathron (Palais des Sports) - Aris Thessaloniki B.C.

(Capacity: 5,500)

Peristeriou Indoor Arena (Andreas Papandreou) - Peristeri Athens B.C.

(Capacity: 4,250)

Lamia Indoor Arena (Chalkiopouleio) - Panellinios Basket

(Capacity: 3,660) - (if the club qualifies to Euroleague they will try to increase it to 5,000)

The problem is that some new arenas (which would sub older arenas) not being used, raise the average age of the Greek bball arenas...

And the big historic ones are fully working, but they don't have the amenities and innovations newer technologies and designs could offer... like OAKA, SEF, Alexandreion etc... although I really like OAKA, it's a unique arena as it is literally below surface, so it would be easy to re-make its exterior, as there is little of that...

SEF sucks, everything is old... I've been there several times, even the paint from the walls falls off, in the day time the sun is coming through some tiny windows on the top, which have this small courtains over them, it's like grandma's kitchen...

Hellenicon is basic, but good inside, but the exterior looks like a plane parking lot...

The best one, exterior and interior wise, amenities, design, decoration etc is the Faliro arena, but it's being used as an expo venue.

Galatsi is also a new unused arena...

It's better than Serbia infrastructure.Only SEF is out of "date".Better to built new hall.

I will try to make same topic in Ex-Yugo if i found pictures of small halls.

Didn't Serbia have new arenas for Eurobasket 2005?

I know Slovenia is getting some work done for Eurobasket 2013 with Stozice being the crown and that Croatia got some after they hosted handball WC or something...

Quote:It's better than Serbia infrastructure.Only SEF is out of "date".Better to built new hall.

I will try to make same topic in Ex-Yugo if i found pictures of small halls.

I think we should try to get arena threads for all the leagues. It would be nice info for us all.

Quote:Galatsi is also a new unused arena...

I thought Galatsi became a swap meet type thing?

Now for some of the Greek clubs that are building new arenas, which are much needed.

Panionios B.C. is going to have a new arena that the club will own and it will be built as a part of their new sports complex. It will be placed at one corner of their football pitch and will have open inside doors access to the track, weight room, and the pool.

This should be a huge development for Panionios because although they have a decent fan base, they have really had an out of date arena and if they wanted to play in a European competition they had to rent another arena.

Hopefully, their new arena will help them out a lot.

This is the old Panionios arena, Nea Smyrni Indoor Hall (which they currently use), which the club has been using on and off for years. Although they have done quite a bit of work on it recently to improve it, clearly it is very outdated.

(Capacity: 2,000)





These are the renderings of what the new Panionios B.C. Izmir Indoor Arena should look like (the basketball arena is in the bottom right corner of the football stadium):

(Capacity: 3,500 - 5,000) - It will be built at 3,500 and with an allowance of space to allow expansion to 5,000 in case the club qualifies to Euroleague again.



Here is a video animation of the new Panionios project:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAp3RbH_D...r_embedded#

Quote:Didn't Serbia have new arenas for Eurobasket 2005?

I know Slovenia is getting some work done for Eurobasket 2013 with Stozice being the crown and that Croatia got some after they hosted handball WC or something...

Only Belgrade Arena is new.Other was renovated. bag:

And for 2012 handball who will organise Serbia.It's planned new arena to built in Nis(where every year is Serbian Cup) with 9.000 capacity and they change project to 5.000.And finally they cancel project.

Kolossos Rhodes B.C. is also building a new arena.

This is their current arena, Venetoklio Indoor Hall, which although nice, is way too small.

(Capacity: 1,300)





The club can't currently play in European competitions because the capacity of the current arena does not meet the minimum seating capacity requirements of ULEB regulations. That is why the club had to forfeit their place in the Eurocup competition this season. So they are building a new arena which will allow them to play in European competitions.

These are pics of the work on the new Kolossos Rhodes B.C. Indoor Arena:

(Capacity: 3,500) - the design will allow for more tiers of seats to be added if they need to have 5,000 in order to play Euroleague/Eurocup down the road.







Here is a video showing the work on the new arena:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0iDXLyDT...r_embedded

Iraklis Thessaloniki B.C. is also building a new multi-sports complex.

This is the current arena of Iraklis, Ivanofio Indoor Hall, which is obviously too outdated and too small and needs to be replaced. It is too small to play in European competitions, so the club needs a newer and bigger arena.

(Capacity: 2,500)



Here are renderings of the new Iraklis Multi Sports Center Complex:

(Capacity: 5,000)

Could you add a capacity next to each arena (current and planned)? That will make the thread even more informative.

Quote:Could you add a capacity next to each arena (current and planned)? That will make the thread even more informative.

I think we should also do this for other leagues too.

LOL @ Iraklis plan. They want to make a little Las Vegas and present it like one in the projects, even if you look at the cars placed at the parking lot they are white, expensive new cars, as if it's Miami or something.

Thessaloniki is bloody gray, and its suburbs where the arena will be built looks like FYROM villages...

Quote:LOL @ Iraklis plan. They want to make a little Las Vegas and present it like one in the projects, even if you look at the cars placed at the parking lot they are white, expensive new cars, as if it's Miami or something.

Thessaloniki is bloody gray, and its suburbs where the arena will be built looks like FYROM villages...

Some of the renderings look like Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Miami Beach Florida areas, except that in some of the pictures it is like in the middle of a forest. They went a little overboard with that.

Maroussi B.C. - Maroussi Indoor Hall (Agios Thomas)

(Capacity: 2,000)