Alba Blaj Arena, ready to host the CEV Champions League Volley 2nd Round
News
Alba Blaj Arena, the new Sports Hall in Blaj, will be hosting this week's 2nd round of the CEV Champions League Volley, between October 24 and 26.
Romanian Champions, Volei Alba Blaj, Belgian Champions, Asterix Avo Beveren, Czech Champions, Kralovo Pole Brno, and the Croatian Champions, Mladost Zagreb, will fight for the two places that ensure qualification in the 4nd Round of the CEV Champions League Volley. The matches will take place from 3:00 PM and from 6:00 PM CEST.
For the Romanian champion and its fans, the news of organizing the tournament in Blaj was received with great enthusiasm, Alba Blaj Arena hosting European matches for the first time, less than a month after its inauguration, bringing the Champions League anthem for the first time in the city.
Stevan Ljubičić, head coach of Volei Alba Blaj: "The fact that we organize the qualification tournament in Blaj means a lot to us, because we will have the support of the public, but it also means a lot for our young team. Tough matches await us, but we have a big advantage that we play here, in Blaj. We have to play on the field, everything will be decided there, all teams start with equal chances. From the point of view of the results recorded in recent years, we are the favourites, but we have to show it on the field".
Nneka Onyejekwe, captain of Volei Alba Blaj: "I am very excited, I am very happy that we managed to organize the qualification tournament, that we will play at home and our fans will have the chance to come and support us right here in Blaj. I am very excited to play European Cup matches right in our hall, because it is very well known that in the past the home matches were actually away games."
Alba Blaj Arena, which was inaugurated with the Romanian Supercup on September 30, has 2,000 seats. Alba Blaj Volleyball will no longer have to play its European cup matches in Sibiu or Târgu Mureș, as has happened in the last 9 years if it manages to go through to the Pool Phase of the CEV Champions League Volley 2024