Beşiktaş JK Eagles, Turkey’s Super League football team, have a lot to celebrate this summer. They clinched their first league title since 2009 and, three years after they bid farewell to their home field, they closed out their victorious season in their new stadium.
The Vodafone Arena, which is one of the most modern stadiums of its time, has a capacity of 43,000 spectators. It boasts environmentally friendly features, such as the use of solar energy and rainwater storage for watering the pitch, which is made of hybrid grass – a first in Turkey.
Aside from football matches, the stadium will also be an entertainment and fashion centre hosting concerts and live shows, an interactive museum and the biggest sportswear store in Turkey.
“This stadium is very important for the team and Turkish football, to take Beşiktaş forward both financially and spiritually.” says Metin Albayrak, Beşiktaş board member.
Not to be excluded from all the modern amenities, Vodafone Arena’s sound system was also equipped with the most technologically advanced solutions on the market. Sound designer Stage Craft and distributor, Lotus Technologies, teamed up to provide 30 KH5 loudspeakers and 12 KS5 subwoofers from K-array’s Concert Series to be suspended from the sides of the scoreboard.
“The reconstruction of a historic and monumental stadium such as this one was a challenge altogether. A brand new stadium with a variety of never-before seen technologies and the undertaking of the audio installation responsibility made the expectations for Stage Craft really high. We were obliged to impress the crowds with sound quality, technology and design all at the same time. But when Lotus took us on a rather enjoyable trip to Florence for a demo of the KH5 system, it was clear we had the resources to satisfy both our client’s and our needs.” says Dogu Civicik, Designer at Stage Craft.
Equipped with Slim Array Technology, the KH5 allows sound to exit instantaneously without resonance, generating a significant amount of sound pressure in the low and low-mid range resulting in a better impulse response and maximum clarity and definition. The digital steering feature directs the sound to the audience area and provides continuous, even coverage that reaches the back row of seating on the opposite side.
The installation came just in time for Beşiktaş to close out the 2015-2016 season with Turkish football’s top prize for the 14th time in their history.
“We won!”,exclaimed Lotus Technologies CEO, Oktay Karaşoğlu after Beşiktaş’s last game, although it wasn’t clear if he was referring to the success of system or the final score of the match.
Dogu Civicik concluded with, “The installation was a first time for everyone. Towering from two sides and distributing the sound from a single location to the entire stadium, the plan was a huge success! We are all very happy to have shared and accomplished this project with K-array and sincerely send our love and thanks to everyone involved.”
Info: www.k-array.com