34-924: UBS Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located within Belmont Park in Elmont, New York , on Long Island . The venue is situated directly adjacent to the eastern limits of the borough of Queens in New York City . Opened in 2021, it is the home of the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL), replacing the Nassau Coliseum and Barclays Center . The arena officially seats 17,250 patrons for NHL games and up to 19,000 for concerts and other select events. Fans and sports writers have affectionately nicknamed
68-589: A change in zoning that was required for its construction, and the project was reported to have been cancelled. In May 2010, Jeff Wilpon , then COO of Major League Baseball 's New York Mets , had discussions with then-Islanders owner Charles Wang about constructing a new arena for the Islanders in the Willets Point neighborhood of Queens , adjacent to the Mets' ballpark, Citi Field . Wilpon also discussed
102-526: A competing proposal by New York City FC for a new soccer stadium. The new arena was projected to be completed in time for the 2021–22 NHL season . In the meantime, the Islanders began to gradually play more home games at the Coliseum in the 2018–19 season . On September 23, 2019, the groundbreaking for the arena was held. It was attended by New York state governor Andrew Cuomo , NHL commissioner Gary Bettman , and officials, alumni, and current players from
136-489: A further 6 percent for service-disabled veteran-owned businesses . The project led to an additional $ 100 million investment in transit and infrastructure enhancements, including Elmont station , the first newly constructed Long Island Rail Road station in almost 50 years. On November 20, 2021, the Islanders played their first game at UBS Arena, a 5–2 loss to the Calgary Flames . The Flames' Brad Richardson scored
170-538: A location, often with the specific intent of comparing an idea to a sporting event. Such examples of these would be terms such as "the arena of war", "the arena of love" or "the political arena". Oak View Group Oak View Group, LLC ( OVG ) is an American professional sports and commercial real estate company based in Denver . It manages several sports venues, including Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle , which
204-620: A renovation of FirstOntario Centre . In November 2021, Oak View Group and Thirty Five Ventures (founded by basketball star Kevin Durant ) reached a 30-year agreement with Baltimore City to operate the city-owned arena, now called CFG Bank Arena . The arena underwent $ 250 million in renovations and reopened in April 2023. In March 2022, OVG announced its largest project to date, a 20,000-seat arena in Las Vegas. The 25-acre site (10 ha)
238-550: A renovation or replacement of the aging facility, including the Lighthouse Project —a 2004 proposal to renovate the Coliseum and build a larger sport, entertainment, and residential district around it (including a minor-league ballpark and a 60-story high-rise from which the proposal derived its name). While Nassau County approved a version of the Lighthouse Project, the town of Hempstead never granted
272-618: A trade publication for the live entertainment industry. In 2017, the company purchased Pollstar , a trade publication for the concert industry. In 2018, it was announced that OVG and the University of Texas at Austin (UT) had agreed to build a new $ 338 million arena for the Texas Longhorns men's and women's basketball programs to replace the Frank Erwin Center . Under the agreement, UT has exclusive use of
306-1243: Is also a partner in UBS Arena with the New York Islanders . In December 2017, New York Arena Partners (a venture of the Islanders, OVG, and Sterling Equities ) won a bid to construct a new, 18,000-seat arena and mixed-used district at Belmont Park , beating a competing proposal by New York City FC for a new soccer stadium. The new arena was completed in time for the 2021–22 season. In 2016, OVG announced an "Arena Alliance" of independent arenas such as AT&T Center (San Antonio), Scotiabank Arena (Toronto), Amalie Arena (Tampa Bay), BB&T Center (Ft. Lauderdale), Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis), Chase Center (San Francisco), PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh), KeyBank Center (Buffalo), The Forum (Los Angeles), Golden 1 Center (Sacramento), Little Caesars Arena (Detroit), Madison Square Garden (New York), Ball Arena (Denver), State Farm Arena (Atlanta), Prudential Center (Newark), Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (Cleveland), Rogers Arena (Vancouver), Enterprise Center (St. Louis), United Center (Chicago), Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia), and Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul). In 2016, OVG acquired Venues Today,
340-476: Is also the sport of indoor American football (one variant of which is explicitly known as arena football), a variant of the outdoor game that is designed for the usual smaller playing surface of most arenas; variants of other traditionally outdoor sports, including box lacrosse as well as futsal and indoor soccer , also exist. The term "arena" is also used loosely to refer to any event or type of event which either literally or metaphorically takes place in such
374-429: Is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators, and may be covered by a roof. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the lowest point, allowing maximum visibility. Arenas are usually designed to accommodate a multitude of spectators. The word derives from Latin harena , a particularly fine-grained sand that covered the floor of ancient arenas such as
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#1732779779803408-628: The Colosseum in Rome , Italy, to absorb blood. The term arena is sometimes used as a synonym for a very large venue such as Pasadena's Rose Bowl , but such a facility is typically called a stadium . The use of one term over the other has mostly to do with the type of event. Football (be it association , rugby , gridiron , Australian rules , or Gaelic ) is typically played in a stadium, while basketball , volleyball , handball , and ice hockey are typically played in an arena, although many of
442-550: The Seattle City Council voted 7–1 to approve a memorandum of understanding with the OVG for the redevelopment, which built a new subterranean arena on the existing site while retaining the historical landmarked roof and three exterior walls. Demolition and construction for the new arena began in 2018 and was fully completed in 2021. The company was competing against a rival proposal by Chris Hansen . On December 7,
476-466: The Islanders and move them to Barclays Center in Brooklyn. On July 12, 2010, Hempstead supervisor Kate Murray announced an "alternate zone" created for the Coliseum property, downsizing the original Lighthouse Project to half its proposed size and making the project, according to then-Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and the developers, "economically unviable for both the developer and owner of
510-468: The Islanders announced that they would re-locate to Barclays Center in Brooklyn once their lease of the Coliseum expired after the 2014–15 season . Meanwhile, a group led by Bruce Ratner (who had developed Barclays Center) secured an $ 89 million bid to renovate the Coliseum, aiming to host a minor hockey team as its main tenant, and have six Islanders games played there per season. As Barclays Center
544-580: The Islanders' preseason home games were played at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut , home of their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders . The team then played 13 consecutive road games to start the regular season. UBS Arena formally opened on November 19, 2021, with a private fundraising event featuring rock band Chicago . As the $ 1.5 billion project and surrounding redevelopment moved forward, it
578-586: The Islanders. In February 2020, it was announced that beginning with the 2020 playoffs , the Islanders would temporarily return to the Coliseum for all home games before moving to the Belmont Park arena for the 2021–22 season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York , all non-essential construction projects in the state of New York were ordered to suspend operations beginning March 27, 2020. Construction
612-588: The Liberty's home arena of Barclays Center was set to host the 2024 NBA draft the following night. The November 29, 2021 episode of WWE 's Monday Night Raw took place at the arena. The December 8, 2021 episode of All Elite Wrestling's Dynamite took place at UBS Arena, as well as the taping for that week's episode of AEW Rampage , which aired on December 10. On June 30th 2024, All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling co-hosted supershow Forbidden Door which aired live on PPV. On July 16, 2022,
646-559: The NHL's board of governors agreed to consider an application for an expansion team from Seattle, with an expansion fee set at $ 650 million. The Seattle ownership group is represented by David Bonderman and Jerry Bruckheimer . On February 20, Mayor Jenny Durkan launched an NHL campaign during her State of the Union and announced that the OVG would be initiating a season ticket drive on March 1, 2018. OVG manages Climate Pledge Arena. The group
680-758: The UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Jessica Koravos, president of Andrew Lloyd Webber ’s Really Useful Group , and formerly MD of Anschutz Entertainment Group Live and COO of AEG Europe, is co-chair of OVG International alongside Tim Leiweke . In February 2019, it was announced that OVG had become the arena manager of Webster Bank Arena, now known as Total Mortgage Arena , in Bridgeport, Connecticut . Oak View Group also will operate Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California . Upon completion in December 2022,
714-511: The arena "The Stable", due to the arena being located at Belmont Park, a famous thoroughbred racing venue. The Nassau Coliseum was the second-oldest facility in the NHL, behind only the twice-renovated Madison Square Garden in Manhattan . It was also the second-smallest arena in the league, with only Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg being smaller. Various attempts had been made to pursue
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#1732779779803748-680: The arena became the home ice for the Kraken's American Hockey League affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds . In August 2021, it was announced that OVG and Spectra, a venue management company, would be merging to form a full-service live events company. In October 2021, Oak View Group partnered with the Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group (HUPEG) to redevelop Hamilton, Ontario 's Arts and Entertainment district, including
782-518: The arena for 60 days per year and receives all revenue from Longhorns games, while OVG and its partners Live Nation and C3 Presents have the right to hold events on the other days, receiving the bulk of the revenue from those dates. The arena, ultimately named Moody Center , opened in April 2022. In 2019, OVG launched Oak View Group International. Based in London, it will focus on building arena and stadium development and partnership opportunities in
816-471: The arena held its first MMA and UFC event, hosting UFC on ABC: Ortega vs. Rodríguez . British singer Harry Styles held the arena's first public concert on November 28, 2021. He also performed the entirety of his latest album Harry's House for the first time live on May 20, 2022. Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre , musical performances , and/or sporting events . It
850-553: The arena's first goal, while Brock Nelson scored the first Islanders goal. The Islanders started 0–5–2 at UBS Arena. Their first home win at the venue came on December 11, in a 4–2 win against the New Jersey Devils . The first Stanley Cup playoffs game at UBS Arena took place on April 21, 2023, when the Islanders defeated the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 5–1. Casey Cizikas of the Islanders scored
884-418: The first playoff goal in the arena. UBS Arena is scheduled to host the 2026 NHL All-Star Game , having been awarded it during the 2024 NHL Stadium Series on February 18, 2024. The Professional Women's Hockey League 's (PWHL) New York Sirens will hold some of its home games at UBS Arena starting on January 10, 2024. The first college basketball game at UBS Arena was played on December 3, 2021, between
918-588: The larger arenas hold more spectators than do the stadiums of smaller colleges or high schools. There are exceptions. The home of the Duke University men's and women's basketball teams would qualify as an arena, but the facility is called Cameron Indoor Stadium . Domed stadiums, which, like arenas, are enclosed but have the larger playing surfaces and seating capacities found in stadiums, are generally not referred to as arenas in North America. There
952-661: The nearby St. John's Red Storm and the Kansas Jayhawks as part of the annual Big East–Big 12 Battle . The Jayhawks won the game 95–75. The Iona Gaels also hosted the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens on December 21, 2021. The New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) moved its 2024 Commissioner's Cup championship game against the Minnesota Lynx to UBS Arena on June 25, as
986-582: The possibility of buying the Islanders. In June 2010, FanHouse reported that Wilpon and his father, then-Mets owner Fred Wilpon , had begun working with real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle (who also worked on the renovation of Madison Square Garden ) on a feasibility study of a new Islanders arena in Queens. However, a source from Newsday indicated that the FanHouse report was not true. There were also reports that businessman Nelson Peltz wanted to buy
1020-480: The site". From that point, the Lighthouse Project would no longer be pursued by Wang, Mangano and the developers. In August 2011, Nassau County voters voted against a referendum that would have granted a $ 400 million public bond to construct a $ 350 million arena and $ 50 million minor league ballpark. The plan was presented by Wang as a last-ditch effort to keep the Islanders in Nassau County. In October 2012,
1054-507: Was allowed to resume on May 27, 2020; team officials expected construction to finish in time for the Islanders to begin to play in October 2021, despite the two-month pause. In July 2020, UBS was announced as the naming rights sponsor of the new arena under a 20-year deal, naming the facility UBS Arena. The Islanders were to begin playing home games at UBS Arena for the 2021–22 season . To allow additional time for construction to complete,
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1088-522: Was announced that they would generate approximately $ 25 billion in economic activity, including major infrastructure improvements, 10,000 construction jobs, and 3,000 permanent jobs. This was seen as a boost to the regional economy at a time when activity had slowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The project partners set a goal of having 30 percent of contracting dollars for construction earmarked for state-certified minority and female-owned businesses, and
1122-595: Was constructed under the company's supervision. OVG was formed in November 2015, by Tim Leiweke and his business partner, Irving Azoff . The former KeyArena in Seattle was redeveloped in preparation for the Seattle Kraken , the city's National Hockey League team. The new arena, named Climate Pledge Arena via a naming rights deal with Amazon is also home to the WNBA 's Seattle Storm . On December 4, 2017,
1156-419: Was designed primarily as a basketball arena, its hockey configuration was criticized by fans for having seats with obstructed views, while its ice quality was criticized as substandard by players. In December 2017, New York Arena Partners—a joint venture between the Islanders, Oak View Group , and Sterling Equities , won a bid to construct a new, 18,000-seat arena and mixed-use district at Belmont Park, beating
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