By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
BOLOGNA, Italy – After coming back to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague following the victory in the 2022 7DAYS EuroCup, Virtus Segafredo Bologna moves into the future with the announcement of its new basketball arena.
In the official press conference held in Palazzo d’Accursio, it was announced that Virtus Bologna will be ready to play in its new home between the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025 for 10.000 seats. It will be a 55-million euros investment that will regard pavilion number 35 of Bologna’s Fair.
“We are proud as Basket City to invest heavily in sports projects, it’s a message to basketball. We wanted to be ready to stay in Euroleague with an adequate infrastructure”, Bologna’s mayor Matteo Lepore said to open the press conference.
Massimo Zanetti, president of Virtus Bologna, took the microphone to speak about the project. “This one is a contribution to the city of Bologna. When I bought Virtus I made a promise and with this act, I hope I kept it: give a permanent home to Virtus. We set up Virtus Bologna in the Euroleague, and having a state-of-the-art arena is essential to stay in the competition. I am deeply honored to be here, I have always been in Bologna since 1973 and this city is very selfless”, he said.
Presentata l’Arena Sportiva – La lanterna sospesa a firma di MCA (Mario Cucinella Architects) ⚪️🏟️⚫️
Leggi il comunicato ➡️ https://t.co/DzNLxkYNFQ#AmoreInfinito pic.twitter.com/dqbpEFYBMe
— Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@VirtusSegafredo) March 23, 2023
“My dream was to bring PalaDozza up to 8.000 seats, but we can’t do that because it’s a monument. I see Virtus among the best teams in Europe, therefore it must have a place worthy of its past, its future, and its history. Virtus Bologna is the most famous Italian basketball team abroad”, Virtus Bologna’s president added.
“Virtus Bologna is an image for Bologna, and being placed within the Fair is part of this prestige that I hope Virtus will be to the city. I hope that the women’s team can win some cups this year, and having the possibility to let them play in a beautiful and prestigious public place makes the image of women’s basketball grow and grow”, Massimo Zanetti added about the female team’s future in the arena.
“The new Virtus Bologna will be adapted to all the FIBA and EuroLeague requests in order to have the possibility to use the infrastructure for every basketball game possible“, architect Michele Roveri from the MCA Mario Cucinella Architects studio said.