Palau Blaugrana (Catalan pronunciation: [pəˈlaw ˌβlawˈɣɾanə], meaning in English "Blue and Garnet Palace") is an arena in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, belonging to FC Barcelona. The 7,585 seating capacity arena is home to the basketball, handball, roller hockey, and futsal divisions of FC Barcelona. Palau Blaugrana is located in the same complex that houses the Camp Nou stadium.
 | |
| Location | Barcelona, Spain |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°22′48″N 2°07′12″E / 41.3801°N 2.1201°E |
| Owner | Futbol Club Barcelona |
| Capacity | 7,585 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 23 October 1971 |
| Renovated | 1994, 2016 |
| Expanded | 1994 |
| Architect | Francesc Cavaller |
| Tenants | |
| FC Barcelona Bàsquet (ACB) FC Barcelona Handbol (ASOBAL) FC Barcelona Hoquei (OK Liga) FC Barcelona Futsal (Primera División) | |
History
editBuilt in 1971, the stadium originally held 5,696 spectators, but the facility was remodeled in 1994, to fit the current capacity of 7,585. During the 1992 Summer Olympics, the arena hosted several events, including roller hockey, taekwondo and judo.[1] The arena's main court area was renovated in 2016.[2][3]
Retired numbers
editSeveral basketball, handball, roller hockey and futsal players have had their jerseys retired:
- 4 Andrés Jiménez, 7 Nacho Solozábal, 11 Juan Carlos Navarro, 12 Roberto Dueñas and 15 Epi for Basketball
- 2 Òscar Grau, 4 Xavier O'Callaghan, 5 Enric Masip, 7 Iñaki Urdangarin, 8 Víctor Tomás, 14 Joan Sagalés and 16 David Barrufet for Handball
- 1 Aitor Egurrola, 21 Alberto Borregán for Roller Hockey
- 28 Paco Sedano for Futsal
Nou Palau Blaugrana
editUnder Sandro Rosell's presidency, FC Barcelona announced that by 2013, it planned to build a new Palau Blaugrana for its handball and basketball teams, with a capacity of 12,000 seats. Also included in the plan, was a smaller campus with a capacity of 3,000 seats, plus [a special conditions] for hotel partners (operated by a specialist company located on the corner of Aristides Maillol with John XXIII), new parking spaces and an auditorium, with a 2,000 capacity, for the foundation, including the offices of the club. These plans, however, were later dropped in favour of the Espai Barça project.
Under the Espai Barça project, the current Palau Blaugrana will be demolished, and a new arena is expected to be built on the site previously occupied by the Mini Estadi, which was demolished to make way for the new arena.[4] Work is expected to start by the 2017–18 basketball season.[5] The Nou Palau Blaugrana will have a capacity of about 12,500 people with an adjacent, smaller court that will seat approximately 2,000. Additionally, the New Palau will have 24 VIP boxes and 4 sky bars with court views.[6]
See also
edit- FC Barcelona (Main body and football club)
- FC Barcelona Bàsquet (basketball)
- FC Barcelona Handbol (handball)
- FC Barcelona Hoquei (roller hockey)
- FC Barcelona Futsal (futsal)
- FC Barcelona-Institut Guttman (wheelchair basketball)
- UB-Barça (Women's basketball)
References
edit- ^ 1992 Summer Olympics official report. Archived 2008-05-28 at the Wayback Machine Volume 2. pp. 217-20.
- ^ La nova cara del parquet del Palau Blaugrana (in Catalan).
- ^ Et presentem la nova imatge del Palau Blaugrana per al curs 2016/17. Què et sembla? (in Catalan).
- ^ "The New Palau Blaugrana".
- ^ "HOK Reveals Design Details for FC Barcelona's New Palau Blaugrana Arena". 16 March 2016.
- ^ "The New Palau Blaugrana".
External links
edit Media related to Palau Blaugrana at Wikimedia Commons
- Palau Blaugrana at fcbarcelona.com