Valascia was an
indoor sporting arena located in
Ambrì
Ambrì is a Swiss village in the municipality of Quinto, Leventina District, Canton of Ticino.
Geography
Ambrì is located in the Leventina Valley, upon the southwestern shore of Ticino river and below the Lepontine Alps, next to the neighbori ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. The capacity of the arena was 6,500 and was built in 1959. It served as the home arena of the
HC Ambri-Piotta ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
team of the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
(NL) from 1959 to 2021. The ends of the arena were open air, making hockey being played there partially outdoor.
The team moved into the
newly built arena for the 2021/22 season. The Valascia was then demolished as it was located in a potential avalanche path.
Closure
Construction for the new arena was scheduled to begin in July 2017 before being postponed to a later date. Should construction not begin before the summer of 2018, Ambri-Piotta will no longer be allowed to play in the National League. Renovation isn't possible as it would bring the total capacity below the required 6,000 to compete in the National League and the arena would still face danger from potential avalanches. Therefore, the new Valascia must be ready to open in time for the 2020/21 NL season should Ambri-Piotta wishes to remain in Switzerland's top league.
On August 30, 2018, HC Ambri-Piotta announced that construction for the new Valascia is set to begin in October 2018 and should be ready to open by 2021.
After multiple delays, construction officially began in April 2019, with completion due for the start of the 2021/22 season.
On April 5, 2021, Ambri-Piotta played its final game in the Valascia, a 2-3 loss to
HC Fribourg-Gottéron
HC Fribourg-Gottéron is a professional ice hockey team based in Fribourg, Switzerland, which competes in the National League (NL). The team is the sixth most attended team in Switzerland for the 2015/16 season with 6,156 spectators.
History
The ...
,
behind closed doors.
See also
*
Piotta
*
Ambrì Airport
Ambri Airport, french: Aéroport de Ambri, it, Aeroporto di Ambrì (:ICAO: LSPM) is a Switzerland, Swiss general aviation airport. It located near the village of Ambrì, in the Quinto, Switzerland, municipality of Quinto, canton of Ticino. Amb ...
*
Ambrì-Piotta railway station
Ambrì-Piotta railway station ( it, Stazione di Ambrì-Piotta) is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Ticino and municipality of Quinto. It takes its name from the nearby communities of Ambrì and Piotta. The station is on the original line ...
References
External links
Venue information
Indoor ice hockey venues in Switzerland
1959 establishments in Switzerland
Sports venues completed in 1959
2021 disestablishments in Switzerland
Sports venues demolished in 2021
{{Switzerland-sports-venue-stub