SSE Hydro confirmed as host venue for Commonwealth Games Netball Final

28 January, 2014

Glasgow 2014 today (Tuesday 28 Jan) announced that the Commonwealth Games Netball Finals will be hosted at the city’s newest venue, the SSE Hydro.

This decision followed a successful test to prove the Hydro’s interior can be transformed overnight after the Games’ Boxing finals are completed.

The transition will see a Netball floor laid overnight for medalmatches starting at 1000 on Sunday 3 August after the last Boxing event finishes at 2230 the evening before.

The turnaround will include removal of floor seats and the Boxing ring followed by the laying of the Netball court floor and dressing the venue.

Glasgow 2014 strives to maximise the use of its venues so that the athlete experience is optimised by packed stadia throughout the sport programme. Hosting the Netball Finals in the SSE Hydro will create additional ticketing opportunities of which more details will be revealed in due course.

Last week the Organising Committee conducted extensive operational testing to assess the feasibilityof hosting the netball finals in the SSE Hydro.

Glasgow 2014 is now confident this process can be completed in time for approval from the Netball Technical Delegateas well as for a broadcast rehearsal and athlete familiarisation time.

Both the Bronze medal and Gold medal Netball matches will now be played at the SSE Hydro with earlier matches in the competition remaining in the SECC Halls.

These Finals will take place on the closing day of the Games and be among the last medals to be awarded at Glasgow 2014.

The decision to relocate the Netball finals from the SECC to the Hydro was announced during the Chef de Missions Seminar taking place in Glasgow this week.

David Grevemberg, Glasgow 2014 Chief Executive,said: “The Commonwealth Games is a high point of the international Netball calendar and it is pleasing that the culmination of this world-class competition will be played out in front of an even larger crowd.

“Hosting the Finals at the SSE Hydro promises to deliver a fantastic atmosphere for the world’s great Netball athletes one of Europe’s newest, most exciting venues.

“We have been rigorous in our testing of the transition time required between Boxing and Netball and we are confident, working with the International Netball Federation, of delivering an outstanding Finals day for our Commonwealth athletes.

“We are delighted that the Netball medal matches will now be played in the Hydro Arena” said Hon Molly Rhone OJ,CD President of the International Netball Federation, “this fantastic venue will be the perfect setting for a thrilling finale to the netball competition for our players and fans.”