CURE Insurance Arena facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
CURE Insurance Arena

Former names	Sovereign Bank Arena (1999–2009) Sun National Bank Center (2009–2017)
Location	81 Hamilton Avenue Trenton, NJ 08611 USA
Public transit	River Line at Hamilton Avenue
Owner	Mercer County Improvement Authority
Operator	Global Spectrum
Capacity	Ice hockey: 7,605 Basketball: 8,600 Concerts: 8,500
Construction
Broke ground	December 2, 1997
Opened	October 6, 1999
Construction cost	$53 million ($93.1 million in 2022 dollars )
Architect	Sink Combs Dethlefs Vitetta Group
Structural engineer	Geiger Engineers
Services engineer	French & Parrello Associates, P.A.
General contractor	Gilbane Building Company
Tenants
Trenton Titans/Devils (ECHL) (1999–2013) Trenton Shooting Stars (IBL) (1999–2001) Trenton Lightning (IPFL) (2001) Trenton Steel (SIFL) (2011) New Jersey Rascals (PLL) (2012) Trenton Freedom (PIFL) (2014–2015) Jersey Flight (NAL) (2018–present)

The CURE Insurance Arena is a large sports and entertainment venue in Trenton, New Jersey. It cost about $53 million to build. This arena can hold up to 10,500 people.

The arena is a popular spot for many different events. You can watch exciting sporting events, fun family shows, and big concerts here. It's the biggest arena in Central New Jersey.

For ice hockey games, the arena has 7,605 seats. For basketball games, it can seat 8,600 fans. When it hosts concerts or other shows, it can fit up to 10,500 people. The arena is easy to get to. It's right next to the Hamilton Avenue station for NJ Transit's River Line.

A company called Spectra manages the CURE Insurance Arena. Spectra is part of Comcast Spectacor, a big entertainment company.

History and Fun Events

The CURE Insurance Arena first opened its doors on October 6, 1999. Its very first event was a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) show.

For its first ten years, the arena was known as the Sovereign Bank Arena. Then, in 2009, it changed its name to the Sun National Bank Center. This name lasted for seven years.

Since it opened, over 4 million guests have visited the arena. It has hosted more than 1,200 events. Many famous performers have sold out shows here. These include Bruce Springsteen, Shania Twain, Keith Urban, Cher, Elton John, Britney Spears, and Justin Bieber. The arena has also hosted the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

In 2018, the CURE Insurance Arena hosted the final regular season games for the first-ever 2018 JBA season.

College Basketball Tournaments

The arena has been a key location for college basketball. It has hosted several important tournaments.

Men's College Basketball

The arena hosted the Northeast Conference men's basketball tournaments in 2000 and 2001. It also held the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament in 2003.

Women's College Basketball

The CURE Insurance Arena has also welcomed top women's college basketball teams. In 2006, it hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament.

In 2009, the arena hosted the Trenton Regional of the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament. During this tournament, the University of Connecticut team played here before moving on to the Women's Final Four.