Big news for the Los Angeles Clippers (NBA): the team held a groundbreaking for its new arena and announced a naming-rights deal with Intuit, creator of TurboTax and QuickBooks, for the Intuit Dome.
It’s a 23-year naming-rights deal for the pair on the $1.8 billion privately financed arena/entertainment complex scheduled to open in Inglewood, California for the 2024-2025 NBA season.
“When we began the search for a partner for the LA Clippers and our new dome, we looked for one that shares our passion for technology, the pursuit of innovation and our commitment to customers, fans and community,” said Steve Ballmer, LA Clippers Chairman, via press release. “Intuit is a perfect fit and we’re excited to be calling our future home the Intuit Dome.”
In many ways Intuit Dome has been designed as more than just a traditional arena, adding elements from ballparks, soccer stadium and football stadiums. For instance, the new arena will feature “The Wall,” 51 uninterrupted rows of seating for 4,700 fans that include a dedicated supporters section. Supporters sections are a staple of soccer stadiums, and virtually every MLS stadium includes one: here’s a look at Allianz Field, home of Minnesota United, which features a leading-edge soccer supporters section. A two-sided halo scoreboard will encircling the bowl with an acre (44,000 square feet) of LED lighting; the immediate comparison will be with the cutting-edge double-sided scoreboard installed at neighboring SoFi Stadium. Adjacent to the arena: a plaza with bars, restaurants and an 8,000-square foot team store. It’s anchored by a full-sized, regulation basketball court set to host AAU tournaments and local youth leagues. It’s pretty much mandatory to open any new sporting venue with such a plaza, as the Golden State Warriors did with Chase Center. And the concessions follow the model seen in many MLB ballparks in these COVID-19 times (though the original installations came well before the pandemic, as when the Chicago Cubs unveiled grab-and-go frictionless concessions at Wrigley Field).
The arena bowl won’t be the only place where buckets will be played. Court B is a full-sized indoor basketball court is an exact replica of the game court, to be used for community and charity events, celebrity pick-up games, company outings and more. A new practice facility will feature more than 86,000 square feet of training, medical and player spaces, two practice courts and an outdoor pool.
Fan comfort is addressed with a look at the seating. Every seat will be 20 inches wide, and the depth of every single row of seats will be 35 inches wide.
And, perhaps the most meaningful design feature of all: Intuit Dome will feature 640 restrooms. That’s more than double what the normal arena supports.
For the record: Legends Project Development is managing Intuit Dome development, AECOM (Design) is the leading design partner and the AECOM Hunt/Turner Joint Venture is leading construction efforts.
Renderings courtesy Los Angeles Clippers.
