Motor happy to return home

Motor happy to return home

HC Motor Zaporozhye are taking part in the VELUX EHF Champions League for the sixth straight year. But until this season, they never played in their home town.

Their old Soviet venue became quite run-down with time, so Motor had to receive opponents in other Ukrainian cities, such as Brovary (near Kyiv) or Kharkiv.

But now the Yunost Sports Palace has been fully renovated, and the team has finally got a chance to welcome some of the best European clubs in Zaporozhye.

The arena officially opened on 24 August, when Motor played against SKA Minsk in a friendly tournament, the Dnieper Cup. And last week, the VELUX EHF Champions League premiere finally took place when Motor lost 35:29 to the French heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain.

"It's a cool feeling. Our new arena is really nice and comfortable"

Despite the defeat, the Ukrainian champions were happy to have finally returned home.

“I’d never played Champions League matches in Zaporozhye before, so it’s a cool feeling. Our new arena is really nice and comfortable, and I think our fans enjoy it, too,” said Lithuanian playmaker Aidenas Malasinskas, who was Motor’s best scorer against PSG with six goals.

Club director Gennady Kasay agreed with Malasinskas.

“We had been waiting for six years to get this chance,” he said. “Zaporozhye fans were missing handball, and they really wanted so see a Champions League game. The match against Paris was sold out within just a couple of days, so it was a very positive feeling.”



[Watch the full report on the new Yunost arena in the Rewind Magazine on Sunday, 23 September]

Kasay is excited about the new arena, which has a capacity of 3,500 people.

“It has been totally reconstructed in just 19 months’ time. The arena has all modern facilities – a video cube, two scoreboards, a VIP zone consisting of six lounges, and so on,” he said. “It was built with the use of all the newest technologies. It’s very comfortable for both players and spectators, and I think it’s good for family visits.”

"There was little difference between home eand away games"

Although Motor could rely on Ukrainian fans’ support in Brovary or Kharkiv, the players did not really feel at ease there.

“The problem was that we had to travel to another city two or three days before home matches and stay at hotels all the time, which was quite exhausting. In this sense there was little difference between home and away games. Now it’s much easier, as we can have a normal preparation in Zaporozhye, where the arena is close to our homes,” Malasinskas said.

The Lithuanian centre back is happy to see the familiar faces of local handball fans at the Yunost arena: “We need to show them our gratitude, so that the fans know how we appreciate their loyalty and support.”

This European season is special for Motor, not just because of their new arena, but also because they are playing in the Groups A/B section for the first time.

Malasinskas did well against Paris, but he thinks that the team performance is way more important.

“Probably you can say that I’m in a good shape, I don’t know. But if you want to beat opponents such as PSG, all players should be in good shape. One player can’t secure results. We need to be strong as a team if we want to succeed at this level. In any case, we have a chance and will try our best in this group,” the 32-year-old player said.

Next home game against Szeged on 30 September

In Round 2, Zaporozhye take on Skjern in Denmark on Sunday at 16:50 hrs (live on ehfTV.com), followed by their next home game against MOL-Pick Szeged in Sunday, 30 September.

Club director Kasay expects another sell-out: “I am happy with how the tickets are sold at the moment. Probably the arena will be full again.”