Virtus Segafredo Arena

Virtus Segafredo Arena, simply known for sponsorship reasons as Segafredo Arena,[2] is a temporary indoor arena located in Bologna, with a capacity of 9,980 seats,[3][4][5] one of the largest of the country.[6][7] The arena was opened in November 2019 and hosted the home games of Virtus Bologna.[8] From November 2019 to June 2021, it was initially located in the "Padiglione 30", a fair pavilion within the Fiera District, but in November 2021, it was moved to "Padiglione 37".[9]

Virtus Segafredo Arena
Segafredo Arena in May 2022
Map
LocationViale della Fiera,
40128, Bologna[1]
Coordinates44°30′39.16″N 11°21′58.12″E / 44.5108778°N 11.3661444°E / 44.5108778; 11.3661444
OwnerBologna Fiere
Virtus Bologna
CapacityBasketball:
 • 8,970 (2019–2020)
 • 9,700 (2020–2021)
 • 9,980 (2021–present)
SurfaceParquet
Construction
Built2019
Opened10 November 2019
Tenants
Virtus Bologna (2019–present)
Website
www.virtus.it
www.bolognafiere.it

History

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The arena was inaugurated on 10 November 2019, for the home game against Treviso Basket, won by Virtus 84–79.[10] On 25 December, for the derby against Fortitudo Bologna, 9,166 fans attended the game, achieving a new record for Virtus in LBA.[11]

In January 2020, the arena was dismantled and rebuilt in September,[12] to host the Final Four of the 2020 Italian Basketball Supercup.[13] Moreover, the arena became the official home court of Virtus for the 2020–21 season of LBA and EuroCup.[14]

In April 2021, Massimo Zanetti, owner of Virtus and Segafredo, announced that the team will remain to the Segafredo Arena for at least three more seasons, with the hope of starting to build a new arena in 2022.[15]

On 11 June 2021, at the Segafredo Arena, Virtus defeated its historic rival Olimpia Milano in the national finals, winning its 16th national title and the first one after twenty years.[16]

In November 2021, the arena was moved to another fair pavilion with a capacity of 9,980 seats[17] and was inaugurated on 17 November for a EuroCup match against Reyer Venezia.[18] On 11 May 2022, the arena hosted the EuroCup Final between Virtus and Frutti Extra Bursaspor, won by Virtus 80–67.[19] The game set a new record for the club with 718,279 euro of revenue and almost 10,000 attendance.[20]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Bologna Fiere, Ingresso Nord – Padiglioni 29/30, Impronta Etica
  2. ^ Zanetti: Si resta alla Segafredo Arena per tre anni. Sogno l’EuroLeague, penso la Virtus la meriti, Sportando
  3. ^ EuroCup, Segafredo Arena verso il tutto esaurito, BolognaBasket
  4. ^ Segafredo Arena, Virtus Segafredo Bologna
  5. ^ LBA Supercoppa - Virtus Bologna, Baraldi: "Capienza intorno ai 2300/2400 spettatori", Pianeta Basket
  6. ^ Virtus Segafredo Arena: palazzo temporaneo da 8.970 posti, Sportando
  7. ^ Baraldi: "Possiamo competere alla pari con Milano, Teodosic a breve in campo", BolognaBasket
  8. ^ Virtus, si va in Fiera, BolognaBasket
  9. ^ Eurocup, la Virtus torna in Fiera e attacca Venezia, Repubblica Bologna
  10. ^ Virtus Bologna Treviso 84-79, buona la prima all'Arena, Il Resto del Carlino
  11. ^ LBA, pubblico in aumento: nel girone di andata media di 4.273 (+7.23%), secondo dato di sempre, Sportando
  12. ^ Abass, Eurolega, Virtus Arena, Zanetti rilancia il futuro Virtus, Baskettiamo
  13. ^ Supercoppa basket 2020, la final four a Bologna. Bonaccini: "La vogliamo a porte aperte", Il Resto del Carlino
  14. ^ Esatta denominazione del campo da gioco della Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, Sportando
  15. ^ Zanetti: “Per tre anni ancora alla Segafredo Arena. Nuovo palasport? Spero nel 2024”, TuttoBolognaWeb
  16. ^ Virtus, sei magnifica! Bologna, scudetto dopo 20 anni, Milano schiacciata 4–0, Gazzetta dello Sport
  17. ^ La notte di Bologna: Virtus, la spinta dei 10mila per un’Eurolega da conquistare, Gazzetta dello Sport
  18. ^ La Virtus ritrova la sua Arena e la vittoria, Il Resto del Carlino
  19. ^ La Virtus Bologna vince l'Eurocup e vola in Eurolega. Bursaspor ko in finale, Sky Sport
  20. ^ Virtus Bologna da urlo: vince l'Eurocup e torna in Eurolega dopo 14 anni, Gazzetta dello Sport
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