Nicos Solomonides Arena
To klouvi (The Cage) (Greek: Το κλουβί) | |
| Former names | Melford Arena |
|---|---|
| Location | Limassol, Cyprus |
| Coordinates | 34°40′11.65″N 33°01′35.59″E / 34.6699028°N 33.0265528°E |
| Owner | AEL Limassol |
| Capacity | 2,500 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 2005 |
| Opened | October 26, 2005 |
| Tenants | |
| AEL BC | |
Nicos Solomonides Arena (Greek: Αίθουσα Νίκος Σολωμονίδης) is an indoor arena in Limassol, Cyprus. It is the home venue of AEL Limassol B.C. and has a capacity of 2,500 seats. The arena was named after club co-founder and president Nicos Solomonides.
The stadium has been renamed on occasion for sponsorship reasons. It was initially named "Melford Arena" and subsequently rebranded as "Limassol Cooperative Bank Arena", until finally the stadium reverted to being called "Nicos Solomonides Arena". Colloquially however, the stadium is referred to by basketball fans and officials alike as "To Klouvi" (Greek: Το κλουβί, lit. 'The cage'"), which refers to the claustrophobic atmosphere produced when the stadium is at maximum attendance. Various critics have asserted that the atmosphere created in the Arena leaves opponent teams at an unfair disadvantage due to the close proximity between themselves and AEL's supporters.