Goodbye Pepsi Center, hello Ball Arena, as the home of the Colorado Avalanche (NHL) and Denver Nuggets (NBA) has a new name as part of a larger agreement between Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and Ball Corporation.
The new naming-rights deal is part of a larger global partnership across three marquee venues in Denver, Los Angeles and London. Besides naming rights for Ball Arena, Ball will be KSE’s Official and Exclusive Sustainability Partner, working with KSE to transition to aluminum beverage packaging – cans, bottles and cups – for 100 percent of the venue’s concessions, with the goal of implementing a closed loop system by 2022. The partnership will include a comprehensive recycling and sustainability plan designed to strengthen the venue’s collection, processing and reclamation, as well as investments in community education focused on aluminum recycling.
Ball and KSE will also partner with the Premier League’s Arsenal F.C., which plays in London’s Emirates Stadium, and the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and their home stadium, SoFi Stadium. In each location, in addition to in-venue aluminum beverage packaging solutions, Ball and KSE will enhance local community programs and increase awareness of the importance of aluminum recycling.
“It is with great pride that we introduce Ball Arena as the new home of the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Mammoth,” said KSE Founder and Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke. “Our goal in selecting a long-term international venues partner was to find a Colorado-based company with global renown to grow side-by-side with our talented young teams. Ball Corporation is an ideal fit for that vision, an innovative leader that shares our commitment to our local community, to environmental sustainability and creating quality jobs in Colorado. We look forward to unveiling Ball Arena and welcoming our fans back home when it is time once again to celebrate live sports and entertainment events responsibly. We ask everyone to continue to stay safe and look after each other so that we can soon enjoy countless amazing memories at Ball Arena.”
“This announcement is an extension of a relationship that began between Ball Corporation and KSE a year ago with the introduction of their infinitely recyclable Ball Aluminum Cup. That opened the door to this incredible opportunity, that builds on the importance of aluminum packaging and recycling,” said Michael Ceilley, KSE Senior Vice President, Partnership Marketing & Media Sales. “Working together, we believe this partnership will be transformative and help redefine the way arenas and stadiums operate globally. We are also grateful for PepsiCo’s dedication to elevating the fan experience at our arena for over 21 years, and through ongoing official beverage partnerships with the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Mammoth and Ball Arena.”
The Ball Aluminum Cup debuted in 2019 at the former Pepsi Center, now Ball Arena. It is also available at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Folsom Field and at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, among other major venues.
This has been an offseason of change for the former Pepsi Center. PointsBet will partner with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment on a major arena gambling deal, running across Nuggets, Avalanche and Colorado Mammoth (NLL) games and broadcasts on Altitude TV and Altitude Sports Radio.