| Malha Arena | |
|---|---|
| Location | Jerusalem, Israel |
| Opened | 1985 |
| Capacity | 3,000 (basketball) |
| Tenants | |
| Hapoel Jerusalem | |
The Malha Arena (officially Lea and Maurice Goldberg Sports Hall)[1] is the home arena of Hapoel Jerusalem basketball team. The arena is located in Jerusalem's Malha neighborhood, across from Ramat Denya and Ramat Sharett.
Malha Arena has a seating capacity of 2,246 permanent seats, with an additional 754 standing room. Despite its small size, the arena traps in noise and distracts the opposing team. This gives a boost to players towards the end of the game when they need it most, according to the coach of Hapoel Jerusalem, Oded Kattash.[2]
In 2009 began the building project of the Arena Stadium in Malha, east of Teddy Stadium, which is a planned to replace the Malha arena. According to Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, the new modern arena will be the largest indoor space in Jerusalem able to host professional sports, world-class concerts, international conferences and cultural events. [3]