Nokia Arena
Encyclopedia
The Yad Eliyahu Arena commercially Nokia Arena , is a 11,700-seat multi-purpose indoor 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 Israel, and it hosts the Israeli Super League final four, the State Cup
final four and most of the Israeli national basketball team
home games. In other sports, it has hosted a Davis Cup
World Group match between Israel and France
in 1989, and the Davis Cup quarterfinals between Israel and Russia
in July 2009.
The arena is owned by the municipality of Tel Aviv, and is managed by Sports Palaces Ltd., a company also fully owned by the municipality (which also manages Bloomfield Stadium
).
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 , the FIBA European Champions Cup
final game in 1972, and the Euroleague final four
in 1994 and 2004.
2009-2010-2011, Scorpions
, Paul Anka
, Rod Stewart
and Enrique Iglesias
.
The Mamma Mia!
international tour played 24 shows at the venue as well.
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The arena is home to the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club, a member of the Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv is the biggest sports club in Israel and a part of the Maccabi association. It runs many sports club and teams in Tel Aviv, which compete in a variety of sports, such as football, basketball, judo, swimming, handball, and others....
sports club. The facility is the largest indoor sports arena in Israel, and it hosts the Israeli Super League final four, the State Cup
Israeli Basketball State Cup
The Israeli Basketball State Cup is the second most important basketball competition in Israel, after Ligat HaAl. The tournament began in the 1955-56 season, and is run by the Israel Basketball Association....
final four and most of the Israeli national basketball team
Israel national basketball team
The Israeli national basketball team is the basketball team that represents Israel in international competition.The Israeli team has participated 25 times in the European championship tournament. Their best achievements were a silver medal in Eurobasket 1979, and 5th place in 1953 and 1977...
home games. In other sports, it has hosted a Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
World Group match between Israel and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1989, and the Davis Cup quarterfinals between Israel and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in July 2009.
The arena is owned by the municipality of Tel Aviv, and is managed by Sports Palaces Ltd., a company also fully owned by the municipality (which also manages Bloomfield Stadium
Bloomfield Stadium
Bloomfield Stadium is a 14,700-seat football stadium in the Tel Aviv District city of Jaffa, Israel. It is the home stadium of Hapoel Tel Aviv, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv.-History:...
).
History
The arena was opened on 17 September 1963 with a game between the national basketball teams of IsraelIsrael national basketball team
The Israeli national basketball team is the basketball team that represents Israel in international competition.The Israeli team has participated 25 times in the European championship tournament. Their best achievements were a silver medal in Eurobasket 1979, and 5th place in 1953 and 1977...
and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national basketball team
The Yugoslavian national basketball team represented the Kingdom and socialist Yugoslavia. Its of governing body was the Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia, whose seat was in Belgrade....
, 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 , the FIBA European Champions Cup
Fiba European Champions Cup and Euroleague history
-FIBA Champions Cup for men's clubs-origins and early history :L'Equipe is widely credited for birthing the idea of European club competition, first and foremost in European football . Basketball was soon to latch onto the quickly successful idea and the idea was discussed by FIBA during the 1957...
final game in 1972, and the Euroleague final four
Euroleague Final Four
The Euroleague Final Four is the final four format championship of the Euroleague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague used the final four format for the first time during the 1987-88 season. It is known as the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four for sponsorship reasons...
in 1994 and 2004.
Entertainment
The arena has hosted musical acts such as Teen AngelsTeen Angels
-Teen Angels 2010:-Teen Angels 2011:- Casi Ángeles en vivo desde el Gran Rex 2009 :-Coca Cola Interactive Music:-Other original songs:...
2009-2010-2011, Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
, Paul Anka
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
and Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...
.
The Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...
international tour played 24 shows at the venue as well.