Cologne to stage EHF CL Final Four

The Men’s EHF Champions League will go through a reform for the 2009/10 season. The stakeholders of the competition – clubs, media and advertising partners, EHF and EHF Marketing – have been working closely together during the last seasons to keep the competition on a path of fast development.

With the clear intention to take the EHF Men’s Champions League to the next level, the Executive Committee of the EHF has approved the application of an adjusted playing system on 29 March 2009. This new format involves reducing the number of teams from the current 32 to 24 with a Last 16 round, Quarterfinal phase and a Final Four weekend to conclude the Men’s CL season.

Following months of careful negotiations with possible venues, EHF Marketing is proud to announce that Lanxess Arena will stage the 2009/10 Final Four. The event in Cologne, Germany, scheduled to take place on 29-30 May 2010 promises an unprecedented highlight closing the upcoming CL season.

The Lanxess Arena of Cologne is a sanctuary of handball. The venue of the 2007 World Championship Final is a stadium with a capacity for almost 20,000 handball fans. Without a doubt: this will be the perfect setting for a premiere event in the history of the top club competition of handball.

In addition to the largest handball arena in Europe, the location of the million-resident metropolis in the geographical centre of Europe, the excellent integration via the international transportation network, as well as for their very cosmopolitan and inspirational manner characterised by its citizens, the city of Cologne was the ideal venue for the Final Four.

EHF President Tor Lian speaks about the agreement with optimism:

“The EHF is looking forward to a top level event in Cologne. The 2007 World Championship Final, the recently played EHF Cup Final and many other big games have proved that the venue has a perfect set-up for top level handball events.”

Ralf Bernd Assenmacher, Chairman of the Board of the Arena Management GmbH.

“The LANXESS arena is proud to present the largest and most important handball event to the world. We are pleased, as an expert host, to welcome the four best handball teams in Europe and their fans to Cologne in 2010. Handball has a long and very successful tradition in the LANXESS arena and in addition being the venue for the 2009/10 EHF Champions League Final Four, an absolute highlight is expected. We are looking forward to celebrating a great festival of handball together with the fans”

Fritz Schramma, Lord Mayor of Cologne

“The City of Cologne is proud that the EHF chose the LANXESS arena as the venue for the 2009/10 EHF Champions League Final Four. Once again, we have succeeded in bringing a highly attractive, audience appealing and international high carat sporting event to Cologne”

Tickets go on sale in September 2009

The tickets for the EHF Champions League Final Four will go on sale at the beginning of September 2009. All information to the Final Four in Cologne will be published within the framework of the press conference in the LANXESS arena in September.

The registration process for the 2009/10 EHF CL season is in its final phase. In a next step the EHF and EHF Marketing will elaborate all details on a technical level regarding the Final Four.

Contact:

Peter Vargo – Managing Director
EHF Marketing GmbH
Tel: + 43 1 801 51 214
Fax: + 43 1 801 51 219
Vargo@ehfmarketing.com