Arena Digest Hosting the Greatest Shows on Earth

{jathumbnail off} From the outside, Amway Center looks like a fairly normal arena, maybe a little nicer than most and more than suitable as the frame for plenty of videoboard advertising targeting thousands of drivers passing daily on I-4. Walk inside the arena to the seating bowl, though, and one thing will be immediately clear: the new home of the ... Read More »

The home of the Abbotsford Heat (AHL), Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre is the center of entertainment and sports in this British Columbia community. Year Opened: May 10, 2009Capacity: Hockey 7,000; In the Round, 8,500; End Stage, 6,700; Half House, 3,700 Owner: City of Abbotsford Architect: PBK ArchitectsWeb Site: abbotsfordcentre.ca Phone: 604/743-5000Anchor Tenants: Abbotsford Heat (AHL) Parking: Parking opportunities available ... Read More »

Completed in 2002, the AT&T Center is now home to the Spurs (NBA), the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, and the WNBA’s San Antonio Silver Stars. The Spurs won their second NBA Championship during their inaugural season at the arena, defeating the New Jersey Nets in six games. Year Opened: 2002 Capacity: 18,500 (basketball), 13,000 (hockey), 19,000 (general event) Architect: Ellerbe ... Read More »

Bank of Kentucky Center, home of Northern Kentucky Norsemen.Opened: 2008 Capacity: 9,400 for basketball, 10,500 for concerts Suites: 12 Budget: $68 million ($54 million from the state, $6 million in naming rights and $8 million from NKU) Architects: GBBN (Cincinnati) and 360 Architecture (Kansas City) Construction: Turner Management: SMG Website: bankofkentuckycenter.com Phone: 859-442-2652 Parking: Plenty of parking at Welcome Center ... Read More »

Arenas are learning that it pays to be multi-faceted.The days of baseball stadium also serving as football fields … and vice versa … seem to be coming to an end. But such is definitely not the case in the world of small towns arenas. The cost of running the places … even such mundane things as keeping the lights on ... Read More »

It’s not the main new arena in town. But it’s right next door. Windsor, Ontario is opening the community arenas that will accompany WFCU Centre next week.When you haven’t built a new major arena in 83 years, you can be excused for wanting to make sure you got everything right. But that doesn’t mean the smaller facilities can’t be open ... Read More »

It’s okay to get a new arena in town once every 85 years or so. Just ask folks in Windsor, Ontario. Scheduled Opening: December 2008 Capacity: 6,469 Owner: City of Windsor Arena Cost: $ 65 million (combined figure with rec center and other arenas in complex) Suites: 33 Team (s): Windsor Spitfires (OHL) Address: 8787 McHugh St., Windsor, Ontario N8S ... Read More »

A renovated Ford Center will be the home of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. Year Opened: 2002 (remodeled in 2008) Capacity: 19,599 (basketball); 18,036 (hockey); 17,868 (arena football) Owner: City of Oklahoma City Arena Cost: $89 million Suites: 56 Team (s): Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA); Oklahoma City Blaze (CHL); Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (af2) Address: 1000 W. Reno Ave., Oklahoma ... Read More »

A new downtown Toledo arena will be the home of an ECHL team and run by the same people behind the successful Toledo Mud Hens. Scheduled Opening: September 2009 Capacity: 10,000 Owner: Toledo Arena Sports, Inc. Arena Cost: $105 million Suites:   Team (s): Toledo Walleye (ECHL) Address: 401 Jefferson Ave., Toledo, OH 43604 Phone: 419-725-4367 Website: www.lucascountyarena.com {iframe}http://arenadigest.com/tix.php?venueid=12220{/iframe} Read More »

A new Ontario, Cal. arena will house an ECHL team and a D-League franchise. Scheduled Opening: October 2008 Capacity: 10,832 (basketball); 9,736 (hockey) Owner: City of Ontario Arena Cost: $130 million Suites: 36 Team (s): Ontario Reign (ECHL) Address: 400 Ontario Center Parkway, Ontario, CA 91764 Phone: 909-484-2020 Website: www.cbbankarena.com Read More »