New Red Bull Beach Arena ready to rock

10.08.2021 - Vienna, Austria

Fans and players coming to Vienna for this week’s A1 CEV EuroBeachVolley presented by Swatch will find this year’s tournament at the Austrian capital different from previous seasons, especially those set to attend matches or play at the Red Bull Beach Arena.

The event’s main court, which will stage all matches in both genders from the quarterfinals on, has moved from its traditional location at the Danube Island, where only the A1 5G Side Courts are placed this year, to the heart of the Austrian capital at the Heumarkt.

Take a tour at the Red Bull Beach Arena with Beach Air:

 

The stadium has also a completely different layout, developed to ensure the safety and security of all fans, with its 2,500 seats split over three levels. The new format, Austrian legend Clemens Doppler says, will make of the venue a really special place to play at.

“I’ve been playing beach volleyball for 22 years and this is really unique,” Doppler commented. “It’s amazing that Hannes Jagerhofer and his team found ways to make this happen and give beach volleyball a chance despite the situation with the pandemic. This is one of the first big events with spectators in Austria in quite some time and I’m honored to play in it. The stadium is very compact and I bet it will be even louder than in previous years. It will be really nice to feel the presence of Austrian fans from so close and I can’t wait to play.”

The stadium was built in a 6,000m² area and it took nearly two months to put its 460-ton structure in place. Additionally, 600 tons of sand, the equivalent to 30 fully-loaded trucks, were used for the court. The impressive structure required 1,300 steel poles to be placed underground the stadium in order to support all its weight.

The location is also a big asset of the new Red Bull Beach Arena. Built for the first time in downtown Vienna, the stadium is easily accessible for the local population and is placed in a popular area of the city during the winter time, when it houses the capital’s most traditional ice-skating rinks of Vienna.

“In terms of location, it couldn’t be better than it,” Doppler reflected. “I was really surprised and excited when they announced it. I live just five minutes away and am here at least twice a week in the winter to ice skate with my daughter. I’m really familiar with this area and I love the idea of having an urban location for the Red Bull Beach Arena. I’m sure everybody will enjoy it and this will definitely become a great option for future tournaments.”

Austrians Franziska Friedl and Eva Pfeffer will be the first home team to experience the feeling of playing at the new-look Red Bull Beach Arena as they are set to face 2018 EuroBeachVolley champions Sanne Keizer and Madelein Meppelink of the Netherlands on Pool F’s opening match on Wednesday at 10.45 CEST.

The match will be live streamed at beachvolleyball.at for Austrian fans and at the European Volleyball Confederation’s (CEV) YouTube channel for people from around the world.