The Drive in Arena ( he, היכל הדרייב אין), officially named Shlomo Group Arena ( he, היכל קבוצת שלמה) due to
commercial sponsorship, is a multi-purpose hall in the northern part of
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
. Built on the grounds of what was once Israel's only
drive-in theater
A drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movi ...
and opened in November 2014, it is used primarily as the home arena for the basketball team
Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Features
The building has an area about of and is accessible for the disabled. The hall has 3,504 seats,
Facts & Figures seats 3,504.
/ref> 300 of which are collapsible to allow the facility to host volleyball and handball games.
The hall also accommodates concerts and conferences. It features red and white chairs and blue plaid pattern. Besides the hall of the building, there are four dressing rooms, a gym, a dressing room for officials, press rooms, a VIP lounge and an entryway with glass fronts.
Background
In July 2007, Ron Huldai
Ron Huldai ( he, רוֹן חוּלְדָּאִי; born 26 August 1944) is the current Mayor of Tel Aviv, since 1998. Before he entered his role as Tel Aviv mayor, Huldai served as a fighter pilot and a commander in the Israeli Air Force. After ...
, the mayor of Tel Aviv decided to demolish Ussishkin Arena
Hapoel Tel Aviv Basketball Club ( he, מועדון כדורסל הפועל תל אביב) is an Israeli professional basketball club, based in Tel Aviv, Israel. Historically the second-most successful side in Israeli basketball with five nationa ...
, the arena of Hapoel Tel Aviv basketball team. Despite fans' protest and struggle to save it, it was eventually demolished.
Hapoel fell apart, and was re-established by its fans and was in the lowest league, playing in the replacement arena. When Hapoel returned to the first league, the mayor decided to build a new arena, so that Hapoel would not have to travel every year. Excitement increased among fans, and on January 4, 2015, Hapoel played for the first time in its new arena against Hapoel Jerusalem
Hapoel Jerusalem is a sport organization in Jerusalem as a local branch of the Hapoel movement. The branch was established in the 1920s and represents the city in more sports than any other sport organization in Jerusalem. Today, the club's leadi ...
and won, 81–67.
It hosted preliminary and quarter-final matches for the 2023 FIBA Women's EuroBasket.
Gallery
File:היכל הספורט העירוני - תל אביב.JPG
File:Hpoel Tel Aviv BC fans 02.jpg
File:Drive_In_Arena.JPG
See also
* List of indoor arenas in Israel
The following is a list of indoor arenas in Israel, ordered by capacity.
The venues are by their final capacity after construction for seating-only events. There is more capacity if standing room is included (e.g. for concerts).
Current arenas
...
* Basketball in Israel
References
External links
* {{Official website
Basketball venues in Israel
Indoor arenas in Israel
Sports venues in Tel Aviv District