We have naming-rights deals for the past and present homes of the Arizona Coyotes (NHL) in the Phoenix area: Glendale’s Desert Diamond Arena and Arizona State University’s Mullett Arena.
Home to the ASU hockey program and the temporary home of the Coyotes opening this fall, was named Mullett Arena in recognition of Donald “Donze” and Barbara Mullett’s commitment to ASU and Sun Devil Athletics.
The 5,000-seat state-of-the-art venue includes two NHL regulation-size ice sheets, 20 luxury suites, a large club lounge and event-level premium club seats. The arena is the new home for Sun Devil Hockey with over 8,000 square feet set aside for ASU’s locker room, weight room, lounge and coaches’ offices. Mullett Arena will house Sun Devil hockey, gymnastics and wrestling as well as community events and the Mountain America Community Iceplex.
“The Mullett family has supported Sun Devil Hockey through every stage of its existence and expanded their support of Sun Devil Athletics in the years since. In appreciation of Don and Barbara’s commitment, we’re thrilled to introduce Mullett Arena,” said Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson vis press release. “With this building dedication, ASU and the Mullett’s shared vision comes to life as we take another step toward elevating our elite student-athlete experience and further serving our community.”
“It is an honor for Barb, me, and our family to have our name associated with Sun Devil Athletics’ new on-campus multi-purpose facility,” said Don Mullett via press release. “With the recent establishment of the Barbara H. Mullett Family Foundation, we’re so proud to have Mullett Arena as part of our initial commitment from the foundation.”
At ASU, the new Mullett Arena includes 20 luxury suites, two group suites, a large club lounge and event-level premium club seats. The club lounge has a Center Ice Club on the main concourse that runs along center ice and can host up to 500 fans. On the 300-level, a social deck will run the length of the east side of the venue, providing an open-air, aerial view of the arena where fans can interact while still experiencing exceptional sightlines to the competition. The arena also will be able to serve as a backup site for sports played on hardwood, such as volleyball.
Additionally, a 942-seat student section will occupy the entire west side of the venue to provide an enhanced gameday experience for ASU students.
In Glendale, the former Gila River Arena will now be known as Desert Diamond Arena as a result of a new naming-rights deal between Desert Diamond Casinos & Entertainment and arena manager ASM Global.
Not a surprise: the casino is located less than a mile from the Westgate development in Glendale. Terms of the new deal, past a statement that the naming-rights deal will run at least a decade with an option for another decade, were not disclosed.
The new moniker comes at a time of transition for the arena after the departure of the Arizona Coyotes after a 19-year run. After Glendale and ASM broke ties with the Coyotes after several instances of late rent and other payments, the pair decided to bring in architectural firm HOK to map arena upgrades to support more events. An outside consultant estimated that 20 new performances/events attracting 10,000 or more fans would be required to replace the revenue generated by the Coyotes, with ASM bringing in Alan Jackson, Roger Waters, Professional Bull Rider Teams, Pepe Aguilar and Ateez for 2022. Additional headline acts have already been secured for 2023, including Rage Against the Machine and Carrie Underwood. Upgrade plans have not been announced, but you can expect things like premium seating, upgraded club and suite areas, and overhauled food and beverage offerings on the table. A renovation plan should be released in 2023.
Photo of Mullett Arena construction courtesy Arizona State University.
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