A venue name change is taking shape in San Diego, where the home of hockey’s San Diego Gulls (AHL) is expected to become Pechanga Arena San Diego.
The facility has had a few identities since opening in 1966, including San Diego International Sports Center, San Diego Sports Arena, and iPayOne Center, but it has been known in recent years as the Valley View Casino Center. Another renaming of the arena is on tap, as Temecula’s Pechanga Resort and Casino is slated to enter into an agreement worth $400,000 annually.
Of the revenue from the Pechanga Arena San Diego naming-rights agreement, 90% would go to operator AEG Management San Diego with the city collecting the remaining 10%. The agreement needs to be approved by the San Diego City Council, which is slated to vote on Tuesday. More from the San Diego-Union Tribune:
The deal, which the San Diego City Council is scheduled to approve on Tuesday, would replace an expiring naming rights pact with Valley View Casino in Valley Center that dates back to 2010.
The city would get a 10 percent share of the revenue, or $40,000 per year, and arena operator AEG Management San Diego would get 90 percent of the revenue, or $360,000 per year.
AEG Management is entitled to sponsorship revenue from the arena because it pays the city $800,000 per year for the opportunity to host concerts, sports and other events there.
Pechanga officials want the naming rights deal to help draw more San Diegans to their sprawling casino complex, which includes 1,100 luxury hotel rooms, a spa, a pool complex and a concert venue.
In its long history, the venue has had two identities that were the result of a naming-rights agreement. That included the Valley View Casino Center branding, along with the iPayOne Center name that was approved in 2005 and ran until 2007. The venue is currently used for a variety of events in addition to Gulls’ home games, including major concerts.
