Maximum number of spectators to witness big finalArticle
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The city of Veszprém will turn green and white on Saturday.

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Maximum number of spectators to witness big final

For their first leg tie, the Győri Audi ETO KC team has moved its game to the city of Veszprém, which means that the city will host the team’s second EHF Women's Champions League Final in the history of the prestigious tournament.

Three years ago, in the 2008/2009 season, the Hungarians earned a spot in the EHF CL finals, and the club´s management picked the Veszprém Arena as the host venue for the first ever final in the club's history.

Back then, the run of tickets for the return match against Viborg HK was enormous. In fact, the club could have sold five times as many tickets than the Arena's capacity of 5,100.

Despite the higher number of spectators in attendance, the team lost on home soil, and with this victory, Viborg celebrated winning the title.

After strengthening their squad last summer, Hungary`s champions have set high standards for this season, declaring their goal of not only reaching the finals again, but winning.

On the way there, the home games took place in the atmospheric Magvassy Mihály Sportcsarnok, the fans´ holy place for ETO matches. It is also the favourite Arena among the Győr players.

"When we arrive at weekends to our ‘church’, the Magvassy Sports Hall, we feel that we’ve arrived home and nothing bad can happen as we are among friends," said Tamás Vizi, one of the most dedicated Audi ETO fans, and also vice-president of MKSZOSZ, the Association of Hungarian Handball Fans.

Nevertheless, the club´s management decided that, after the successful Main Round, they would move the team's return match in the EHF Champions League semi-final to Veszprém again.

Veszprém started in 2009 as an unlucky host for ETO games, but this year's semi-final match on 7th April 2012 turned out to be a better omen for the Hungarians, as coach Karl Erik Bøhn's team outclassed Oltchim and progressed to the finals.

The Arena went crazy and the fans created a hellish atmosphere, as in the home matches of men’s team MKB Veszprém.

In April the Arena was near to maximum capacity and Veszprém turned to green and white for a whole day thanks to thousands of fans arriving to cheer for their side.

The city of Veszprém is only an hour’s drive from Győr, so the 2008-finished Arena is a fitting location for ETO matches, replacing the rather small (2,800 capacity) Magvassy Sports Hall.

Ticket sales for the final started in mid-April and within days all tickets had been sold although a final 200 tickets will go on sale on Wednesday 2 May at the Veszprem Arena at 10am (local time). Tickets will only be sold in person (a maximum of two tickets each) at the arena and not online or on the telephone.

Despite placing a sold out sign in front of the Arena, ticket requests have never stopped, and thousands of extra enquiries have continued to arrive at the club, as everyone wants to see the great battle between the Montenegrin and Hungarian champions.

So, full capacity (among them 500 Budućnost supporters) will await the two teams for this year's big final in Veszprém.

Construction of the Veszprém Arena began in June 2007, based on the adapted plans of the Zlatorog Arena in Celje, Slovenia. Dvorana Zlatorog is also an indoor sporting arena and hosts the home games of Slovenian men’s club Celje Pivovarna Laško.

The Arena of Veszprém is located in the North Eastern part of the city, just 500 metres away from the roundabout by Külső-Kádártai street, near main road 82, heading to Győr.

Bus routes 5 and 13 stop 300 metres from the hall at the Kádártai street terminal, from where the arena is easily and safely approachable through the pedestrian subway.

South of the arena is a car park, with 750 parking spaces and 16 additional places for buses. Next to that lies a heliport that is suitable for emergency helicopters. The entire area of the hall is accessible to the disabled.

With the men’s team of Veszprém making an exit in the 1/8 finals of the VELUX EHF Champions League, it's 100 per cent sure that the Arena will see its biggest highlight, and this year's most exciting sport event, on 5th May, with the two teams battling for the crown in the EHF Champions League.

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TEXT: Márk Hegedüs
 
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