SAP Garden is a 12,500-seat indoor arena, in Olympiapark, Munich. The arena was completed in summer 2024 and it will be ready for use for the 2024/25 season.[4] The site was built at the location of the former Radstadion which was demolished in 2015. It is the home rink to ice hockey team EHC Red Bull Munich and home court to basketball team Bayern Munich.

SAP Garden
The construction site in September 2023
Map
LocationMunich, Bavaria, Germany
Coordinates48°10′11.57″N 11°32′27.53″E / 48.1698806°N 11.5409806°E / 48.1698806; 11.5409806
Public transit
OwnerRed Bull GmbH
Executive suites11
Capacity11,500 (basketball)
10.796 (ice hockey)[3]
Construction
Broke ground23 February 2021; 3 years ago (2021-02-23)
Opened27 September 2024; 2 months ago (2024-09-27)
Construction cost€110 million[1]
Architect3XN[2]
Tenants
Bayern Munich (BBL)
EHC Red Bull Munich (DEL)
Website
https://www.sapgarden.com/

History

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The arena in April 2024

Plans for a new indoor arena arose primarily from the wish for a new home arena for the ice hockey team EHC Red Bull Munich who currently play at the Olympia Eishalle which was opened five years prior to the 1972 Olympic Games. In addition, BBL team Bayern Munich, playing at the Olympic basketball arena, sought a modern arena. In December 2014, the city council of Munich announced bidding for the new arena, to be built at the location of the Radstadion.[5] The architect is 3XN.

In 2019, it was reported that SAP gained naming rights for the arena. To avoid confusion with the SAP Arena in Mannheim, three naming proposals have been made to be voted under hashtag #NameGameOn: SAP Live (which received 9.9% of the votes), SAP Park (44.8%) and SAP Garden (45.3%).[6]

Groundbreaking was originally announced to take place in the winter of 2019.[7] The first excavation work on the site began on 13 January 2020.[8] Furthermore, the construction of the provisional construction roads with sidewalks and a pedestrian crossing started, which made accompanying tree felling work necessary. A partial building permit was available for this. The foundation stone was laid on 23 February 2021, but without guests and visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]

The arena had its first game on September 27 2024, with the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL defeating Red Bull Munich in an exhibition game, 5-0.[10] Former Red Bull player, current Sabres player, and Munich native JJ Peterka led the teams onto the ice and was given a solo lap, and Peterka scored the fifth goal for the Sabres, receiving an ovation as well as chants postgame.[11]

Olympic Park Munich

Olympic Park Munich
1
Olympic Stadium
2
Olympic Hall
3
Theatron
4
Aquatic Center
5
Small Olympic Hall
6
Olympic Tower
7
Olympic Ice Sports Center
8
Olympic Village
9
SAP Garden
10
Olympic Mountain

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "So soll das neue Eishockeystadion aussehen" (in German). Süddeutsche Zeitung. 15 February 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Sportsarena Olympiapark". 3xn.com. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  3. ^ "Welcome to the Hall of Games" (in German). SAP Garden. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  4. ^ "SAP Garden". www.sapgarden.com. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Neues Zuhause für Eishockey und Basketball" (in German). muenchen.de. 18 December 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  6. ^ "Olympiapark: Neue Halle heißt "SAP Garden"" (in German). Süddeutsche Zeitung. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  7. ^ "Hoeneß: "Neue Halle ein Gewinn für die Stadt"" (in German). fcb-basketball.de. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  8. ^ "Olympiapark München :: SAP Garden – Errichtung provisorischer Baustraßen :: Presse Olympiapark München, Konzerte in München, Veranstaltungen München, Freizeit Sport München, Unterhaltung München". www.olympiapark.de.
  9. ^ Tögel, Ralf (23 February 2021). "SAP Garden in München: Virtuelle Grundsteinlegung". Süddeutsche.de.
  10. ^ "Sabres blank EHC Red Bull Munchen in NHL Global Series Challenge Germany | NHL.com". www.nhl.com. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Watch: Sabres' JJ Peterka Scores in Home Country Showdown". Break Away ON SI. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
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