Work underway on New Balance World Headquarters, the Boston Celtics’ new-age, state-of-the-art practice facility

In honour of the late Boston Celtics President and Coach Arnold “Red” Auerbach, it will be named The Auerbach Center at New Balance World Headquarters. The naming of the facility is the centrepiece of a new partnership between New Balance and the Celtics, which will highlight the shared focus on community, sport and innovation between the two Boston-based brands. Jim Davis, Chairman and Owner of New Balance, was a close friend of Red’s, and Red served as a mentor to Mr. Davis and his family for many years.

Wyc Grousbeck, Co-Owner and Governor of the Boston Celtics, said:

We are proud to be in partnership with New Balance and honored that they have agreed to carry forth Red’s legacy in the naming of the Auerbach Center at New Balance Headquarters. Red had no peer as an innovator in our sport, and we feel like it is fitting that our partner New Balance will help us continue to be a leading innovator as we pursue Banner 18 and beyond.

Jim Davis, Chairman and Owner at New Balance, said:

Red Auerbach was a true entrepreneur whose passion for winning and dedication to the sport of basketball and the Boston Celtics was equally matched with his commitment to people and his local community. New Balance is extremely proud to join with the Boston Celtics in honoring his professional achievements and personal values through ‘Red’s House’ at our Boston world headquarters.

As part of New Balance’s naming rights partnership the brand will become an official partner of the Boston Celtics and will receive significant brand presence throughout the facility. The partnership also puts a strong focus on year-round community initiatives, including a commitment to renovate neighbourhood basketball courts and tracks as well as entitlement of Celtics Basketball Camps. Other elements of the partnership include digital and social activation, grass roots marketing, and in-arena TV visible signage at the TD Garden.

The Boston Celtics practice facility will be the latest dramatic element at Boston Landing — at 55ft-in-the-air cantilevered out to the edge of the Mass Pike. The team’s new practice home, including the Celtics’ 17 NBA championship banners, will be highly visible from the Massachusetts Turnpike with a 40ft glass wall enclosing the practice courts that face the approximately 130,000 daily commuters. The practice facility will encompass approximately 70,000sqft.

Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, said:

We are excited to be a part of this great accomplishment for the Boston Celtics, New Balance, and the City of Boston. Bringing the Boston Celtics practice facility to Boston Landing further demonstrates the organizations’ shared commitment to the enhancement of culture and wellness in our communities and we are proud to be the home of a world-class sports team able to compete at the highest level.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh, commented:

The Celtics are part of Boston’s long tradition of athletic excellence, and I am excited that now the team won’t just be winning in Boston – they’ll be training in Boston as well. There is no better place for this new practice facility than at Boston Landing, a state-of-the-art mixed-use development that in its short time of existence has proven to be an economic engine for the area. I congratulate Jim Davis of New Balance, and the Boston Celtics on the new Auerbach Center, named after the late, legendary President and Coach Red Auerbach, and I look forward to welcoming the Celtics to their new practice facility.

Speaking at the official groundbreaking ceremony, Jim Halliday, Managing Director for NB Development Group LLC, said:

We are thrilled to break ground today on behalf of the Boston Celtics at Boston Landing. Boston Landing is truly becoming the gateway into the City of Boston from the west, while at the same time a unique culture of health, wellness, and movement with the addition of the Auerbach Center.

Features of the comprehensive practice facility will include:

• Two state-of-the-art parquet floor basketball courts where the team will practice
• Leading edge audio-visual technology throughout the facility
• Expanded strength and conditioning, training, and recovery facilities
• Best-in-class locker rooms and players’ lounge
• Physical therapy areas including hydrotherapy pools
• Sports science and nutrition facilities
• Expanded media work room, press conference and broadcast facilities
• A flexible hospitality area designed for community relations activities, partner gatherings and other guest events
• Work space for the team’s coaching and basketball front office staffs

Elkus Manfredi Architects is leading the design and John Moriarty & Associates is handling the construction. The team’s current practice facility at Healthpoint in Waltham, MA, has served as the Celtics practice home since 1999.

About Boston Landing

Boston Landing is a 15-acre mixed-use development in the Allston-Brighton neighbourhood that includes the new world headquarters of New Balance Athletics, Inc. and the Warrior Ice Arena – the new Boston Bruins practice facility that opened earlier this autumn/fall. A commuter rail station will be completed on the Framingham-Worcester line in Spring of 2017. In addition, the development will include additional office buildings, retail and restaurant space, a hotel and a sports complex.