37°52′50.322″S 145°12′42.029″E / 37.88064500°S 145.21167472°E / -37.88064500; 145.21167472
7-551: The State Basketball Centre is a sports arena located in Melbourne , Victoria , Australia, used primarily for basketball . The stadium features 18 courts, including one basketball show court with seating for 3,200. The stadium houses the offices of Basketball Australia , Basketball Victoria, Knox Basketball Incorporated , South East Melbourne Phoenix and hosts WNBL games for the Southside Flyers , and previously
14-476: Is also the sport of indoor American football (one variant of which is explicitly known as arena football), a variant of the outdoor game that is designed for the usual smaller playing surface of most arenas; variants of other traditionally outdoor sports, including box lacrosse as well as futsal and indoor soccer , also exist. The term "arena" is also used loosely to refer to any event or type of event which either literally or metaphorically takes place in such
21-429: Is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators, and may be covered by a roof. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the lowest point, allowing maximum visibility. Arenas are usually designed to accommodate a multitude of spectators. The word derives from Latin harena , a particularly fine-grained sand that covered the floor of ancient arenas such as
28-628: The Colosseum in Rome , Italy, to absorb blood. The term arena is sometimes used as a synonym for a very large venue such as Pasadena's Rose Bowl , but such a facility is typically called a stadium . The use of one term over the other has mostly to do with the type of event. Football (be it association , rugby , gridiron , Australian rules , or Gaelic ) is typically played in a stadium, while basketball , volleyball , handball , and ice hockey are typically played in an arena, although many of
35-694: The Melbourne Boomers . The stadium also hosts a select number of Phoenix home games each NBL season. In March 2021, the State Basketball Centre hosted four games as part of the NBL Cup . In September 2022, the State Basketball Centre hosted the NBL1 National Finals . In January 2024, the stadium unveiled 12 new basketball courts following a $ 132 million upgrade, increasing the total number to 18 courts. Following
42-588: The larger arenas hold more spectators than do the stadiums of smaller colleges or high schools. There are exceptions. The home of the Duke University men's and women's basketball teams would qualify as an arena, but the facility is called Cameron Indoor Stadium . Domed stadiums, which, like arenas, are enclosed but have the larger playing surfaces and seating capacities found in stadiums, are generally not referred to as arenas in North America. There
49-469: The opening of the new courts, works began on refurbishing the original six courts including the show court, which led to the Southside Flyers being unable to host their 2024 WNBL finals games at the State Basketball Centre. Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre , musical performances , and/or sporting events . It
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