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  Pechanga Arena Location within California Show map of California Pechanga Arena Location within the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Former names | San Diego International Sports Arena(1966–70) San Diego Sports Arena(1970–2005; 2007–10) iPayOne Center(2005–07) Valley View Casino Center(2010–18) |
|---|---|
| Address | 3500 Sports Arena Blvd |
| Location | San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 32°45′19″N117°12′44″W / 32.75528°N 117.21222°W /32.75528; -117.21222 |
| Owner | City of San Diego |
| Operator | ASM Global |
| Capacity | Boxing: 16,100 Basketball: 14,500[1] Ice hockey: 12,920[2] |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | November 18, 1965[3] |
| Opened | November 17, 1966 |
| Construction cost | US$6.4 million ($63.9 million in 2024 dollars[4]) |
| Architect | Mark L. Faddis[5] |
| Structural engineer | Richard Bradshaw[5] |
| General contractor | Trepte Construction Company[5] |
| Tenants | |
San Diego State Aztecs(NCAA) (1966–97 part-time)
San Diego Gulls(WHL) (1966–74)
San Diego Riptide(AF2) (2002–05)
San Diego Sockers(NASL/MISL I/CISL) (1980–96)
San Diego Seals(NLL) (2018–present)
San Diego Barracudas(RHI) (1993–96)
San Diego Friars(WTT) (1975–78) | |
| Website | |
| pechangaarenasd | |
Pechanga Arena is an indoorarena inSan Diego, California. Opened in 1966, it is an example ofNew Formalism architecture and has been designated by the City of San Diego as a historic resource.[6] The arena has been home to numerous athletic teams in various sports. It is the home of theSan Diego Gulls of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL) and theSan Diego Seals of theNational Lacrosse League (NLL).
The arena was the home of theNational Basketball Association (NBA)'sSan Diego Rockets from 1967 to 1971 andSan Diego Clippers from 1978 to 1984. It hosted the1971 NBA All-Star Game and the 1973Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton boxing fight. In 2013,U-T San Diego named the arena third on its list of the fifty most notable locations in San Diego sports history.[7]
In June 2023,Stan Kroenke's development group, the Kroenke Group, announced that it would be the chief investor for the redevelopment of the site; a project known as Midway Rising. The proposal includes the demolition of Pechanga Arena, in order to build anew 16,000-seat arena, housing units, a multi-acre urban park, and a mixed-use entertainment, arts, and cultural district.
The arena was built in 1966 for $6.4 million byBob Breitbard, a local football player who played for theSan Diego State Aztecs.[8][9] To build the arena, the city knocked down ahousing project that had been there since 1943.[10][11] The arena seated 13,000 for hockey and 13,700 for basketball.[9] At 77 feet tall, the arena was built six years before the current 30 foot maximum height restriction was put into place by the State Coastal Commission in the Midway-Pacific Highway Community Plan.[12]
The arena opened on November 17, 1966, when more than 11,000 pro hockey fans watched theSan Diego Gulls (then a member of theWestern Hockey League) win their season opener, 4–1, against theSeattle Totems.[8]
In 2013,U-T San Diego named the arena third on its list of the fifty most notable locations in San Diego sports history.[7]
The arena has had multiple names:[13]
iPayOne, areal estate savings company based inCarlsbad, California, held the arena'snaming rights from 2004 until 2007. The deal was worth $2.5 million over five years. In April 2007 the leasing rights holder Arena Group 2000 cancelled the remainder of the contract due to non-payment by iPayOne.[21]
On October 12, 2010, it was announced that the arena's name had been changed to the "Valley View Casino Center", under a $1.5 million, 5-year agreement between the arena operator AEG, theSan Pasqual Band of Diegueno Mission Indians and the city of San Diego.[22]
Valley View Casino's naming rights expired November 30, 2018, leaving the arena without an official name until the city council announced on December 4, 2018,[13] that thePechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, owners ofPechanga Resort Casino inTemecula, had acquired for $400,000 per year the naming rights to the arena, officially renaming it "Pechanga Arena". The agreement expired in May 2020.[23][24]
The arena seats 12,000 forindoor football, 12,920 forice hockey,indoor soccer andbox lacrosse, 14,500 forbasketball andtennis, 5,450 for amphitheater concerts and stage shows, 8,900–14,800 for arena concerts, 13,000 for ice shows and thecircus, and 16,100 forboxing andmixed martial arts.[25]
The arena opened on November 17, 1966, with theSan Diego Gulls (then a member of theWestern Hockey League) winning their season opener, 4–1, against theSeattle Totems.[8] The Gulls were the arena's first tenant. TheSan Diego State Aztecs men's basketball team join the Gulls on a part-time basis soon afterwards; they played home games at the arena off-and-on to supplement their on-campus, much smaller venue,Peterson Gymnasium. The Aztecs played at the arena until 1997, when they opened their new on-campus venue,Viejas Arena.
On October 14, 1967, anNBA expansion team, theSan Diego Rockets, became the arena's first professional basketball tenant when they played their season opener and first game in franchise history against theSt. Louis Hawks, narrowly losing 98–99.[26]
On January 12, 1971, the Rockets hosted the1971 NBA All-Star Game at the arena.
At the conclusion of the1970–71 NBA Season, the Rockets were sold and relocated toHouston. As a result,San Francisco Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli, who was looking for more support for his franchise, decided to make a play for the San Diego market (in addition to theOakland market, whereOakland Arena had just received a renovation project). Mieuli changed his team's name to theGolden State Warriors for the upcoming season in order to target the state ofCalifornia as a whole for a fanbase, instead of a singlemetropolitan area. The Warriors planned to split the season's home games between theSan Francisco Bay Area and San Diego. The Warriors ultimately hosted just six regular season home games at the San Diego Sports Arena, one each month of the1971–72 season (October–March). The remainder of the Warriors' home games that season were played at Oakland Arena, where the Warriors settled full-time the following season.[27]
As the Warriors returned to the Bay Area full-time after their brief experiment in San Diego, the NBA's primary competitor league, theAmerican Basketball Association (ABA) awarded its first—and as it turned out, only—expansion team to San Diego. Dr.Leonard Bloom (President and CEO of the United States Capital Corporation) paid a $1 million expansion fee to the league to start the team. TheSan Diego Conquistadors began play in the1972–73 ABA season; however, they were unable to use the Sports Arena for their first two seasons of existence due to a feud between Bloom and Peter Graham, manager of the city-owned 14,400-seat Sports Arena. The Conquistadors (or "Q's" as they were commonly known locally), played at Peterson Gymnasium on the campus ofSan Diego State University from 1972 until 1974 as a result of the feud.
In late 1974, the Q's were finally allowed to use the Sports Arena, but their first season at the arena would turn out to be their only full season there. In 1975, the ABA, facing mounting financial difficulties, was rumored to be discussing a merger with the NBA and the San Diego franchise was not to be included. The Conquistadors, freshly renamed the Sails, would cease operations just 11 games into the 1975–76 ABA season on November 12, 1975, when the ABA announced that it was folding the San Diego Sails franchise. The Sails were scheduled to host theIndiana Pacers on that day but the game was not played.
In 1972, theRepublican Party considered the arena for its National Convention. With little warning, however, the GOP decided to hold the convention inMiami Beach. To compensate for this blow to local prestige, then-mayor (and future California governor)Pete Wilson gave San Diego the by-name of "America's Finest City",[28] which is still the city's official moniker.[29]
The arena was the host of the 1973Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton boxing fight, which, by split decision, San Diego resident Norton won.
The1975 NCAA men's basketball Final Four was held at the arena from March 15, 1975, until the national championship game on March 31, whereUCLA was victorious inJohn Wooden's final game.
In 1978, less than three years after the Sails folded and the ABA's four surviving teams merged with the NBA, the NBA returned to San Diego with the relocation of theBuffalo Braves, which became theSan Diego Clippers. In 1981, the Clippers were bought byLos Angeles-based developerDonald Sterling. Sterling, despite failing to gain approval from the NBA to relocate the team to Los Angeles in 1982 and again in 1984, did so anyway following the1983–84 NBA season, which led to a lawsuit from the league. The team ultimately remained in Los Angeles, however, following a counter-lawsuit brought on by Sterling. The franchise has kept the Clippers name despite its reference being to the ships ofSan Diego Bay. San Diego has not hosted an NBA regular game since the Clippers' departure.
In both 1979 and 1981 at the San Diego Indoor Track Meet, Irish distance runnerEamonn Coghlan broke the world record for the indoor mile with times of 3:52.6 and 3:50.6 respectively. A photo of him crossing the finish line appeared around the world including on the cover ofSports Illustrated. Coghlan's time for the 1981 race would remain as the world record until 1983, when he improved upon his own record with a time of 3:49.78 at New Jersey'sMeadowlands Arena indoor arena. Coghlan held the indoor mile world record for 17 years and 11 months before Moroccan distance runnerHicham El Guerrouj broke the world record in 1997 with a time of 3:48.45.[8][30]
The arena has also been home of theSan Diego Mariners of theWorld Hockey Association from 1974 to 1977, theSan Diego Friars ofWorld Team Tennis (WTT) from 1975 to 1978, theSan Diego Sockers indoor soccer team, which won 10 titles in the arena, and other minor professional sports franchises. TheSan Diego Sockers made their return to the arena in 2012 for their fourth season in thePASL-Pro fromDel Mar Arena.[31] TheSan Diego Aviators of WTT relocated from New York City prior to the 2014 season and began playing their home matches in the arena.[32] On December 29, 2014, the Aviators announced that the team would move its home matches toOmni La Costa Resort & Spa in nearbyCarlsbad for the2015 season.[33]
The arena has hosted a series ofUFC events. The arena hostedUFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko on August 1, 2010.[34] The arena hostedUFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee on July 15, 2015.[35] The arena hostedUFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz on August 13, 2022.[36]
In 2015, theAnaheim Ducks relocated theirAmerican Hockey League (AHL) affiliate to San Diego to become the current iteration of theSan Diego Gulls, using the arena for their home games.[37]
On August 7, 2016, the arena played host to theArena Football League'sLos Angeles Kiss as they faced theCleveland Gladiators in the first round of the AFL playoffs. The game was moved to San Diego due to the Kiss' home arena, theHonda Center inAnaheim hosting theRingling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus that weekend. The Kiss would lose to the Gladiators 56–52 in front of a crowd of 4,692.[38] It was the first AFL game ever to be played at the arena and the firstarena football game played there since 2005, when theAF2'sSan Diego Riptide played their home games at the arena from 2002 to 2005.
On August 29, 2017, theNational Lacrosse League (NLL) announced that billionaire ownerJoseph Tsai ofAlibaba had been awarded an NLL franchise to begin playing in November 2018 for the 2018–2019 season. The team is known as theSan Diego Seals.[39][40]
In November 2018, theIndoor Football League (IFL) announced an expansion team for the2019 season called theSan Diego Strike Force.[41] The IFL became the top level of professionalindoor football in November 2019 when theArena Football League announced it was folding.
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The Stone Poneys played there on January 13, 1968.
Led Zeppelin,Jethro Tull, and Surprise Package played there on August 10, 1969.
Jimi Hendrix recorded his 13-minute jam version of "Red House" there, on May 24, 1969. The full concert was released in 1991 as part of theStages box set.
Elvis Presley played there on November 15, 1970, and April 24, 1976. Attendance was 14,659 in 1970 and 17,500 in 1976.
The Rolling Stones with Stevie Wonder played there on June 13, 1972.
The Grateful Dead played there a total of 4 times from 1973 to 1993. The November 14, 1973 performance has been released as part of the band's30 Trips Around the Sun box set. Following the band's July 1, 1980 performance, drummerMickey Hart, rhythm guitaristBob Weir and their manager were arrested for interfering with a police bust.[42]
Queen performed there four times to sold-out crowds. Their first concert was on March 12, 1976, for theirA Night at the Opera Tour which was the band's first headline tour in the US. They next performed on March 5, 1977, as part of theirA Day at the Races Tour.[43] Their next concert was during theirNews of the World Tour on December 16, 1977. The band's last performance was on July 5, 1980, while onThe Game Tour.[44]
The gatefold photograph insideKISS' albumAlive II was shot there during soundcheck before their show at the SDSA on August 19, 1977, during the "Love Gun" tour.
Alice Cooper played there on many occasions and it was the venue for his concert filmThe Strange Case of Alice Cooper in 1979.
TheBee Gees played to a sold-out crowd on July 5, 1979, during theirSpirits Having Flown Tour.
ABBA played there during their 1979 world tour.
Bob Marley and The Wailers performed there on November 21, 1979,Survival Tour.
Heart performed there on August 24, 1980. The band'sGreatest Hits/Live included a medley of "I'm Down" and "Long Tall Sally" recorded at the show.
Duran Duran played two nights there on April 16, 1984, and April 17, 1984, as part of their Sing Blue Silver World Tour. They played there again July 28, 1987, as part of their Strange Behaviour World Tour; also that night American all-female bandThe Bangles joined them on stage to sing their hit "If She Knew What She Wants". They also played there on February 25, 2005, as part of their Astronaut World Tour when they reformed the band to its original lineup.
The German heavy metal rock groupThe Scorpions performed there during their 1984 World Wide live tour.
Rush performed there on May 28, 1984, as part of theirGrace Under Pressure Tour.
Van Halen played two shows on May 20 and 21 on their1984 Tour; two shows on their 19865150 Tour on June 28 and 29, 1986; a show on their 1988OU812 tour on November 19, 1988; two shows on theirFor Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour on May 1 and 3, 1992; and finally on their 1995 The Balance "Ambulance" Tour on April 2, 1995.
Dio performed during theirSacred Heart Tour on December 6, 1985. The show was recorded and later released as a live album, entitledIntermission.
Bon Jovi played a sold-out show on January 16, 1987, on theirSlippery When Wet world tour.
Aerosmith performed during theirPump Tour on March 2, 1990.
Janet Jackson has performed six concerts at this venue. She performed a sold-out show on April 23, 1990, for herRhythm Nation Tour. She returned to the venue on February 24, 1994, for theJanet World Tour, another sold-out show.[45] She performed sold-out shows for herThe Velvet Rope Tour andAll for You Tour.[46][47] She came back on September 20, 2008, for herRock Witchu Tour.[48] She played a date here on October 7, 2017, during herState of the World Tour.[49]
MC Hammer played at the arena on August 4, 1990, as part of hisPlease Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em World Tour. He also played on June 28, 1992, for hisToo Legit to Quit World Tour.
Gloria Estefan and theMiami Sound Machine played there on three separate occasions, first on July 17, 1991, during her “Into The Light World Tour,” second on July 31, 1996, during her “Evolution World Tour,” and third on August 19, 2004, during her “Live & Re-Wrapped Tour”.
Metallica performed two consecutive shows, during theirWherever We May Roam Tour, on January 13–14, 1992. The shows were recorded and later released on VHS and DVD, entitledLive Shit: Binge & Purge on November 23, 1993.
Nirvana performed during their In Uterotour on December 29, 1993.
Diana Ross was scheduled to perform during herReturn to Love Tour on August 2, 2000, but the show was cancelled, due to low ticket sales.
Tina Turner was scheduled to perform during herTwenty Four Seven Tour on December 2, 2000, withJoe Cocker as her opening act, but the show was canceled.
Britney Spears opened her 2004Onyx Hotel Tour.
U2 performed at the venue for the first two shows of theirVertigo Tour on March 28 and 30, 2005.
Miley Cyrus performed at the arena on November 8, 2007, during herBest of Both Worlds Tour.
Lady Gaga performed at the arena on December 19, 2009, during herMonster Ball Tour.
Eric Clapton performed at the venue on March 15, 2007, with special guestsJJ Cale,Doyle Bramhall II,Derek Trucks, andRobert Cray. Nine years later, Clapton released audio and video/DVD recordings of the show in honor of Cale, who died in 2013, on the live albumLive in San Diego.
Britney Spears performed duringThe Circus Starring Britney Spears at the arena on September 24, 2009.
Justin Bieber performed a sold-out show there on October 30, 2010, as part of hisMy World Tour; three years later he performed there again to a sold-out show on June 22, 2013, during hisBelieve Tour. Bieber returned there on March 29, 2016, to perform to a sold-out show as part of hisPurpose World Tour, and on February 18, 2022, Bieber returned there for hisJustice World Tour.
LMFAO performed for theirSorry for Party Rocking Tour June 9, 2012.
Selena Gomez performed at the arena on November 8, 2013, during herStars Dance Tour.
Madonna played a date there on October 29, 2015, becoming her first-ever performance in the arena, during herRebel Heart Tour. The show sold 10,500 seats and grossed over $1.6 million with ticket prices ranging from $50 to $355, becoming one of the most expensive concerts.
Muse played a date there on January 7, 2016, on theirDrones World Tour.
Jason Aldean played a date there late in 2016, on his Six-String Nation Tour.
Sheryl Crow,Bob Dylan, andWillie Nelson played a date there in September 2017 as part of their Outlaw Music Festival tour.
Tyler, The Creator performed at the venue on February 2, 2018, as part of a run of headlining North American tour in support of his recently released albumFlower Boy.
Lana Del Rey performed at the venue on February 15, 2018, as part of herLA to the Moon Tour, with support fromKali Uchis.
Maluma performed at the venue on April 8, 2018, as part of hisF.A.M.E tour.
Slayer kicked off theirfinal tour there on May 10, 2018, with support fromLamb of God,Anthrax,Behemoth, andTestament.
Shakira performed at the venue on September 5, 2018, as part of herEl Dorado World Tour.
Local radio stationKHTS-FM held its annual "Summer Kickoff Concert" at the venue on May 31, 2019. It featuredHalsey,Ellie Goulding,CNCO,Bebe Rexha,NCT 127, and five other artists.[50]
Jennifer Lopez performed at the arena on June 10, 2019, as part of herIt's My Party Tour.
Country-pop singerCarrie Underwood has performed in the arena multiple times, first on October 1, 2010, during herPlay On Tour; the second on October 20, 2012, during herBlown Away Tour; the third on September 16, 2016, during herStoryteller Tour: Stories in the Round; and the fourth on September 10, 2019, during herCry Pretty Tour 360, making her one of the artists with the most performances in the arena.
Tame Impala played the first of theirThe Slow Rush tour concerts there on March 9, 2020, just prior to the shutdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Harry Styles performed at the arena on November 15, 2021, as part of hisLove On Tour.
Bad Bunny brought hisEl Ultimo Tour Del Mundo to Pechanga on February 23, 2022, selling out the arena. Previously, Bad Bunny played at the arena on November 22, 2019, as part of hisX 100Pre Tour and on August 25, 2018, as part of hisLa Nueva Religión Tour.
AJR headlined the arena for the first time on May 1, 2024, for theirThe Maybe Man Tour.
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The arena has hosted severalWWE events, including many episodes ofRaw andSmackDown, someECW episodes, one episode of the originalNXT, and a litany ofhouse shows. As well asVengeance 2001, which saw the unification of theWorld Championship andWWF Championship into the Undisputed WWF Championship,Taboo Tuesday 2005, andOne Night Stand 2008.
The 2011 version of Wrex the Halls was hosted here over two days with headlinersFlorence and the Machine andBlink-182 headlining respective nights. Both nights were sold out.
The arena has also been home to events of the originalRoller Games league, featuring its flagship team, the Los Angeles Thunderbirds, as well as the alternatingroller derby leagues of the time, featuring their flagship team, the San Francisco Bay Bombers.
The arena hosted Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live in 2019.
As use of the arena for sports and entertainment declined during the 1990s and 2000s, the city considered plans to redevelop the property. A Request For Proposals (RFP) was issued, and in August 2020 MayorKevin Faulconer announced that the city had chosen a developer to convert the arena and its surrounding 48 acres into an entertainment district. The proposed plan would include a new sports arena, thousands of housing units, and retail and park space.[51]
In a November 2020 election, the city's voters removed a pre-existing height limit of 30 feet on structures in the area, giving developers more flexibility.[52] However, in June 2021 the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) notified the city that the plan violated the state's recently modified Surplus Land Act, which mandates that local governments must offer surplus land first to developers who will reserve 25% of housing units for low-income families. In July the city prepared to declare the property surplus, meaning not needed for the city's use, with the condition that any proposal should include refurbishing or replacing the sports arena as an entertainment venue. If the state HCD approves that condition, the city will issue a new RFP to a state-approved list of affordable housing developers.[53]The November 2022 election again has Measure E on the ballot for San Diego voters to remove or preserve the current height restrictions for the neighborhood zone west of the I-5 freeway and south of I-8 down toSan Diego International Airport includingLiberty Station andMarine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.[54]
Three developers proposed a new mixed use arena with housing, shopping, and parks. The projects were titled "Midway Rising", "Hometown SD", and "Midway Village+", with Midway Rising eventually winning the bid.[55] In 2023,Stan Kroenke joined the Midway Rising group as a majority investor, bringing a massive boost as he had previously redeveloped the formerHollywood Park Racetrack inInglewood.
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