Desert Diamond Arena facts for kids
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Desert Diamond Arena in 2020
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 Desert Diamond Arena
Location in Maricopa County, Arizona
Desert Diamond Arena
Location in Arizona
Desert Diamond Arena
Location in the United States
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| Former names | Glendale Arena (2003–2006) Jobing.com Arena (2006–2014) Gila River Arena (2014–2022) |
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| Address | 9400 W Maryland Ave |
| Location | Glendale, Arizona |
| Coordinates | 33°31′55″N 112°15′40″W / 33.53194°N 112.26111°W |
| Owner | City of Glendale |
| Operator | ASM Global |
| Capacity | Ice hockey: 17,125 Max: 19,000 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 3, 2002 |
| Opened | December 26, 2003 |
| Construction cost | US$220 million ($358 million in 2022 dollars |
| Architect | HOK Sport |
| Project manager | ICON Venue Group |
| Structural engineer | Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers, Inc. |
| Services engineer | Syska Hennessy |
| General contractor | Perini Building Company |
| Tenants | |
| Arizona Coyotes (NHL) (2003–2022) Arizona Sting (NLL) (2003–2007) Arizona State Sun Devils men's ice hockey (NCAA) (2015–2019, some games) Arizona Ridge Riders (PBR) (2022–present) |
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Desert Diamond Arena is a large indoor building in Glendale, Arizona. It's used for many different things, like sports games and concerts. It used to be called Glendale Arena, then Jobing.com Arena, and later Gila River Arena.
This arena is a main part of the 223-acre Westgate Entertainment District. It cost about $220 million to build. The City of Glendale owns it, and ASM Global manages it. From 2003 to 2022, it was the home of the Arizona Coyotes ice hockey team. Now, it hosts many concerts and other fun events all year. The arena can hold 17,125 people for ice hockey games. For concerts, it can hold about 19,000 people.
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Arena History: From Coyotes to Concerts
The Arizona Coyotes ice hockey team moved to Phoenix in 1996. They first played at America West Arena. This arena was built for basketball, not hockey. Because of this, many seats had bad views of the hockey rink. Some seats even hung over the ice! This meant about 3,000 fans couldn't see the game well. So, the team needed a new, better place to play.
In 2001, a plan was made to build a new arena in Glendale. Construction started on April 3, 2002. The arena officially opened on December 26, 2003, and was called Glendale Arena. The first sports event there was a lacrosse game. The Arizona Sting played against the Vancouver Ravens. The next night, the Phoenix Coyotes played their first game there. The arena was full of 19,052 fans!
The Coyotes played their last game at this arena on April 29, 2022. They won the game 5-4. The team then moved to a new, smaller arena at Arizona State University called Mullett Arena.
Concerts and Exciting Events
Desert Diamond Arena has hosted many famous musicians and exciting events since it opened. Some of the first big stars to perform here included Prince, Rod Stewart, and Britney Spears. Over the years, many other popular artists have played here, like U2, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, and Justin Bieber.
The arena also hosts many other types of events. It has had big fighting events like UFC on Fox: Poirier vs. Gaethje and UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2. You can also see shows like WWE SmackDown, Nitro Circus Live, and Stars on Ice. Family-friendly shows like Sesame Street Live and the Harlem Globetrotters have also visited.
Since 2005, the arena has been the place for "February Frenzy." This is where Arizona high school teams compete in basketball, volleyball, wrestling, and cheerleading tournaments. It's a big event for student athletes!
The arena has also hosted professional bull riding events. Since 2022, it's the home of the Arizona Ridge Riders, a team in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Team Series.
What's in a Name? Naming Rights Explained
Arenas often sell their "naming rights" to companies. This means a company pays money to have the arena named after them for a certain time.
The arena's first naming rights deal was with Jobing.com. This was a website that helped people find jobs. They paid $30 million for ten years in 2006. So, the arena was called Jobing.com Arena.
In 2014, the Coyotes team made a new deal with Gila River Casinos. These casinos are owned by the Gila River Indian Community, a Native American tribe. This was a very important deal because it was the first time a Native American tribe had naming rights for a major sports arena in the U.S. and Canada. The arena was then renamed Gila River Arena.
On August 23, 2022, the arena changed its name again. It made a new agreement with Desert Diamond Casinos. Now, it is known as Desert Diamond Arena.
See also
In Spanish: Gila River Arena para niños
