SPC Vojvodina

SPC Vojvodina (Serbian Cyrillic: СПЦ Војводина), short for Sports and Business Center Vojvodina (Serbian: Спортски и пословни центар Војводина, romanized: Sportski i poslovni centar Vojvodina), commonly referred to as SPENS (Serbian Cyrillic: СПЕНС), is a multi-purpose venue located in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia.

SPC Vojvodina
СПЦ Војводина
SPENS
SPENS in December 2013.
Full nameSportski i poslovni centar Vojvodina
AddressSutjeska 2
LocationNovi Sad, Serbia
Coordinates45°14′51″N 19°50′44″E
OperatorJP SPC Vojvodina
Genre(s)Sporting events
Capacity6,987 (Main Hall)[1]
1,030 (Small Hall)
1,283 (Ice-hockey Rink)
1,000 (Indoors Swimming Pool)
Acreage21 acres
ScoreboardYes
Construction
Broke ground1979
Built1981
Opened14 April 1981 (1981-04-14)
ArchitectŽivorad Janković
Branko Bulić
Duško Bogunović
Tenants
HK Vojvodina
KK Vojvodina
OK Vojvodina
RK Vojvodina
ŽKK Vojvodina
Website
www.spens.rs

History
Yugoslav stamp dedicated to the 1981 World Table Tennis Championships

Its construction started in 1979, based on the design documentation produced by the Institute of Architecture, Urbanism and Spatial Planning, at the University of Sarajevo. The authors of the original, competition-winning design were Prof. Zivorad Jankovic, Prof. Branko Bulic and Eng. Dusko Bogunovic. The construction of the main and the small hall was completed in less than two years. On 14 April 1981, the complex opened its door for the first time, its inaugural event being the 1981 World Table Tennis Championships, event named "SPENS '81" at the time (later the venue was unofficially named after the event name).[2] In the following years, additional objects were opened. However, several objects were not constructed even though they were in the project, like open swimming pool, open skating rink and open courts for team sports.[2]

As of 2019, SPENS is operated by the state-owned company JP "Sportski i poslovni centar Vojvodina", which in addition to SPENS also has Sports Center Sajmište (Serbian: Спортски центар Сајмиште, romanized: Sportski centar Sajmište) under its umbrella.

Features

Sprawling over 85,000 m2, SPENS consists of Main Hall (capacity: 6,987 seats), Small Hall (capacity: 1,030), ice-hockey rink (capacity: 1,623), bowling alley, shooting range, 3 training halls, swimming pool, 11 tennis courts, media center, 2 press centers, amphitheater, reception salon, conference hall, double-level garage, and 215 retail and business spaces that house banks, furniture stores, tourist agencies, jewelers, bookstores, pool halls, fitness clubs, boutiques, etc.

Sports

SPENS' most famous residents are basketball's KK Vojvodina Srbijagas (participating in Basketball League of Serbia) and volleyball's OK Vojvodina.

In 1987, Spens hosted basketball's European Cup Winners' Cup Final in which Cibona Zagreb defeated Scavolini Pesaro 89–74.[3][4]

The venue received its biggest media exposure when it hosted round-robin action of EuroBasket 2005 in group D which consisted of Spain, Latvia, Israel and host country Serbia and Montenegro.[3] For this occasion, SPENS underwent major renovation that included improvements to building's technological capabilities, overhaul of its media center and addition of two video boards – one on each end of the main hall.

The arena hosted the Group C (group stage) of and the Group II of the main round of the 2012 European Men's Handball Championship, which featured national teams of Spain, Croatia, France, Hungary, Slovenia and Iceland .

Since volleyball is very popular in Novi Sad, Serbia men's national volleyball team often plays its FIVB World League home matches in SPENS, as well as its friendly warm-up games.

  • SPENS sports center from outside
    SPENS sports center from outside
  • SPENS in winter
    SPENS in winter
  • SPENS main hall during basketball game
    SPENS main hall during basketball game
  • SPENS main swimming pool
    SPENS main swimming pool
  • Entrance area inside the facility
    Entrance area inside the facility

Concerts and events

In addition to sporting events, SPENS is often used as a venue for concerts, film premieres, conventions, etc. The first ever concert held at SPENS was of pop-rock band Sedmorica mladih, drawing a crowd of 5,000 people. Some of the other concerts have been:

List of concerts and events
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s

See also

References
  1. "СПЕНС Спорт". spens.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  2. Bogosavljević, Žarko (4 May 2009). "Gradnja „Spensa" nije završena". blic.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  3. Најзначајније приредбе
  4. Cup Winners’ Cup 1986–87
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