SNHU Arena facts for kids
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| Former names | Manchester Civic Arena (planning/construction) Verizon Wireless Arena (2001–16) |
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| Location | 555 Elm Street Manchester, New Hampshire 03101 |
| Owner | City of Manchester |
| Operator | SMG |
| Capacity | 9,852 (hockey) 11,140 (basketball) 10,050 (end stage) 11,770 (centerstage concerts) |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 13, 2000 |
| Opened | November 15, 2001 |
| Construction cost | $68 million ($116 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Architect | HOK Sports Lavallee Brensinger Architects |
| Project manager | ScheerGame Sports Development, LLC. |
| Structural engineer | LeMessurier Consultants |
| General contractor | Gilbane/Harvey |
| Tenants | |
| Manchester Monarchs (AHL) (2001–2015) Manchester Wolves (af2) (2004–2009) Manchester Monarchs (ECHL) (2015–2019) New England Liberty (LFL) (2016) |
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The SNHU Arena is a cool indoor building in Manchester, New Hampshire. It's a big place where many exciting events happen! People come here to watch ice hockey, basketball, and awesome concerts. It can hold almost 10,000 fans for hockey games and even more for concerts.
This arena was first called the Manchester Civic Arena when it was being built. Then, before it opened in 2001, it was named the Verizon Wireless Arena. On September 1, 2016, its name changed again to SNHU Arena. This happened because Southern New Hampshire University bought the rights to the name. This deal also helps students get internships at the arena. The university can also use the arena for its own sports and events.
The arena has special seating areas too. There are 542 club seats, 34 fancy luxury suites, and five party suites for groups.
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Arena Design and Features
The SNHU Arena is right in downtown Manchester. It's easy to spot with its unique look. The building has a curved blue roof. This special roof helps heavy New Hampshire snow slide right off.
The top part of the arena is made of steel. It lights up at night, which looks really cool from across the city. The bottom part of the building uses red bricks. These bricks are like those on Manchester's old, famous mills. The main entrance is made entirely of glass.
Inside, the main floor is at ground level on the west side. The main area for fans is on the second floor. This area wraps all the way around the arena. Most of the food and drink stands are on this level. There are two main levels of seats for fans. You'll also find several luxury boxes for special guests. The arena has a big four-sided scoreboard. It also has video screens around the upper decks. The floor can be made bigger for different events.
There are not many parking spots right at the arena. Most people park on the street or in nearby parking lots in downtown Manchester.
Exciting Sporting Events
The SNHU Arena is a popular spot for many different sports.
Ice Hockey Games
The arena was home to the Manchester Monarchs hockey teams for many years. First, an AHL team played here from 2001 to 2015. Then, an ECHL team took over from 2015 to 2019. Both Monarchs teams were connected to the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL.
In 2015, the AHL Monarchs won the Calder Cup championship! That was their last season before moving to California. The arena has also hosted the AHL All-Star Game. Sometimes, the Boston Bruins from the NHL play practice games here.
Indoor Football Action
From 2004 to 2009, the arena hosted the Manchester Wolves. They were an indoor football team in a league called AF2. In 2016, a women's team, the New England Liberty, played one home game here.
Basketball Games
The Boston Celtics from the NBA sometimes play practice games at the arena. The famous Harlem Globetrotters also visit the arena to show off their amazing basketball skills.
College Sports
The University of New Hampshire men's hockey team sometimes plays games at the arena. They often play against Dartmouth College and the Maine Black Bears. Manchester has also hosted big college hockey tournaments. These are called the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Regional tournaments. UNH has been the host school for these events many times since 2004.
Even though the arena is named after Southern New Hampshire University, their sports teams do not play their home games here.
Professional Wrestling
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has held many events at the arena since 2002. This includes a big pay-per-view show called WWE Backlash in 2005. WWE still brings its weekly shows like WWE Smackdown to Manchester.
Other Sports Events
The arena is also used for state high school basketball and hockey championships.
Other Fun Events
Besides sports, the SNHU Arena hosts many other exciting events.
Concerts and Shows
Many famous music artists have performed concerts at the arena. Some big names have even visited Manchester multiple times!
Political Events
The arena is a popular place for political events. In 2007, Hillary Clinton spoke at a high school graduation here. Later that year, Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey held a big campaign rally. Obama also spoke at a university graduation.
In 2012, presidential candidate Mitt Romney gave his final speech before election day at the arena. Nearly 18,000 people came to that event. Kid Rock even performed a concert there!
More recently, Donald Trump held several large rallies at the arena for his presidential campaigns. These events always drew huge crowds. The New Hampshire Democratic Party also holds its yearly meetings at the arena.
Robotics Competition
The FIRST Robotics Competition holds its regional event, the BAE Systems Granite State Regional, at the arena every year. This is where student teams show off their amazing robots!
Photo gallery
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A "pit party" before a monster truck show at the arena.
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Players warming up before a Manchester Monarchs hockey game.
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A view of the ice from the end of the arena.
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A wide view inside the arena before a hockey game.
