Draft:Lonza Arena

Lonza Arena is an arena in Visp, Switzerland. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of EHC Visp. Lonza Arena was opened in 2019.

Building project
The idea of ​​building a new ice rink in Visp took shape after the LNB championship title in 2011. Following a meeting arranged with the municipal authorities in 2012, the project is planned for 2015. the project will be located 500 m from the Litternahalle, in the direction of Brig.

Following financing difficulties, the project was postponed until 2017. A new cantonal law is being developed, which could allow the municipality to obtain greater financial support from the Canton. On September 8, 2016, the project selected for this new ice rink was presented to the public. The company Frutiger AG developed it, the main architect is Scheitlin Syfrig.

The total cost of the project is estimated at CHF 35.5 million. The breakdown of costs is as follows: 5.7 million comes from the sale of the old ice rink, 3 million comes from Lonza, a sponsor who will give his name to the arena, 0.5 million is covered by the canton of Valais, 7.5 million are from the club of EHC Visp and the balance 18.8 million are paid by the municipality. the citizens of Visp vote on November 27, 2016 to approve this budget, 75% of them accept it.

The first shovels were given in the field of the future ice rink in March 2018. In total, 13'000 m3 are extracted from the site. The groubreaking break took place on April 8, 2018. On April 19, another good news arrived, the implementation of the cantonal law was accepted. The amount of the subsidy remains to be determined by the cantonal parliament. To resolve a security problem, additional concrete walls had to be built. These would prevent certain spectators from seeing the entire playing surface. As a result, the capacity of the rink is reduced. The work is completed on time and the Lonza Arena is ready in September 2019.

Historical
Inauguration of the ice rink, with alumni match between EHC Visp and HC Sierre. Then two matches contested by the current team against SCL Tigers and HC Davos.

On September 10, 2019, the first official match played in the Lonza Arena took place. Facing HC La Chaux-de-Fonds, EHC Visp won 6-3 in the round of 16 of the Swiss Cup. During the 5th minute of play in the first third, Andy Ritz was the first player to score a goal in this Arena.

On September 18, the first championship match took place at the Lonza Arena. HC Sierre won 3-1. HC Visp's goal is scored by Andy Ritz.

On December 12 and 13, the city of Visp hosts an international tournament in which the teams of Norway, Russia, Slovakia and Switzerland compete. Switzerland wins this tournament by beating Norway 5-0 and Russia 8-2

On January 16, 2020, the first event that is not directly linked to hockey is held in the ice rink. the election of the personality of the year 2019 for the canton of Valais. Léonard Gianadda wins this honorary title.

On January 29, 2019, the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation awarded the U20 Ball Hockey World Championship 2020 to the city of Visp and Raron. on April 16, 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic, these are canceled. In May, the federation decided to award the following championships to Visp, those of 2021. Once again, the federation fails to maintain them To compensate for these two cancellations, the federation decides to allocate the Ball Hockey World Championship 2024 to Visp and Raron.

Description
The Lonza Arena is a building with 4 floors (including the basement). It has 8 entrances, 6 to the south for home supporters, one to the northwest for visiting supporters and one to the north for players, to access the offices and VIP areas. Its total surface area is 5700 m2, its height being 15m. its southern facade, parallel to the main road. The transparent building envelope is for merging inside and outside.

the basement is made up of 10 changing rooms, including one of 76 m2 reserved for the first team, a gym, massage rooms, a skate sharpening room, a dedicated room equipment, 5 rooms dedicated to coaches and referees, showers and toilets, as well as a common area with a kitchen. The ground floor is dedicated to welcoming supporters with its 7 catering boxes and access to the stands and seats. The first floor is dedicated to the team offices and meeting room. it also includes a catering area. The second floor is dedicated to restaurants with a view of the ice rink.

A "French corner" has been set up so that supporters coming from the French-speaking part of the canton can meet there

the arena is managed by a consortium, Lonza Arena AG.