Bridgestone Arena

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Bridgestone Arena
The Stone
The Bridge
The Tire Barn
The north side of Bridgestone Arena in Nashville (2015)
The north side of Bridgestone Arena in Nashville (2015)
Earlier names

Nashville Arena (1996–1999)
Gaylord Entertainment Center (1999–2007)
Sommet Center (2007–2010)

Data
place 501 Broadway Nashville , Tennessee 37203
United StatesUnited States
Coordinates 36 ° 9 '33.1 "  N , 86 ° 46' 42.5"  W Coordinates: 36 ° 9 '33.1 "  N , 86 ° 46' 42.5"  W.
owner Sports Authority of Nashville and Davidson County
operator Powers Management Company
opening December 18, 1996
surface Concrete
parquet
ice surface
costs 144 million US dollars
architect HOK Sport
capacity 19,395 seats (basketball)
17,113 seats (ice hockey)
10,000–20,000 seats (concerts)
05,145 seats (theater)
Societies)
Events

The Bridgestone Arena is a multifunctional arena in the center of the US city ​​of Nashville in the state of Tennessee . The arena, completed in 1996, is the home of the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). In the years from 1997 to 2001 and from 2005 to 2007, the Nashville Kats of the Arena Football League (AFL) used the hall. The arena is owned by the Sports Authority of Nashville and Davidson Counties and operated by Powers Management Company , a subsidiary of Predators, who have been the arena’s first tenant since 1998.

use

In addition to various sporting events, such as B. various NCAA - college basketball tournaments of the Southeastern Conference and the Ohio Valley Conference as well as wrestling events, other events such as concerts , shows or religious meetings took place in the hall .

In 1997 the arena hosted the US figure skating championships , and in 2004 the national gymnastics championships were held in it. In odd years, the arena is also one of eight venues for the first and second round of the NCAA basketball tournaments. The NHL All-Star Game was held in the Nashville Hall in 2016.

The Bridgestone Arena has a capacity of 17,113 for ice hockey and 19,395 for basketball games ; depending on the stage construction, the arena can accommodate between 10,000 and 20,000 visitors for concerts. In addition, the arena can be converted into the 5,145-seat Music City Theater , which can then be used for concerts, theater and various Broadway and family shows. The arena has a total area of ​​around 4,000 m².

Naming rights

The naming rights to the Bridgestone Arena belonged to the Gaylord Entertainment Company, a US hotel and media company, since 1998. In February 2005 it was announced that the Predators had reached an agreement with the group, which would dissolve all existing contracts between the two, but maintain the arena name until a new buyer of the naming rights is found. As a result, voices were raised calling for the name to be renamed back to the original and still widely used name, Nashville Arena. Since the beginning of the new season , the name was registered again as the second official name of the arena, among other things, the Gaylord Entertainment Center lettering from the center circle was changed to the original lettering Nashville Predators. The nickname The Hop (from The H ome O f the P redators ) was meanwhile widespread . The Gaylord Entertainment Center lettering on the facade remained for the time being. Since March 16, 2007 it is officially called Nashville Arena again. On May 18, 2007, the naming rights were sold to the Sommet Group, so the new stadium name was Sommet Center.

In May 2010, Bridgestone Americas, Inc., the US subsidiary of the Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone , acquired the naming rights to the multi-purpose arena for five years. Bridgestone paid $ 1 million a year. In December 2011, Bridgestone's contract was extended to 2019 at $ 2.5 million per year. In mid-December 2017, the Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Americas, Inc. agreed on a further extension of the contract until 2025.

gallery

  • Aerial view of the Gaylord Entertainment Center (2005)

  • Interior view of the Nashville Predators ice hockey game against the Detroit Red Wings on November 23, 2007

  • Exterior view of the former Sommet Center (2008)

  • Arena entrance area (2008)

Web links

Commons : Bridgestone Arena  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ sportspromedia.com: Bridgestone extends naming rights of Nashville arena article from December 16, 2011 (English)
  2. ↑ stadionwelt.de: NHL-Arena: Naming Right extends article from December 18, 2017