Coachella Valley to get its first Professional Sports team with a new arena at Agua Caliente

The American Hockey League has awarded its 32nd Franchise to Palm Springs, which will take to the ice in 2021 at the New Arena at Agua Caliente in Palm Springs.

This new Franchise will be the official affiliate of the National Hockey League’s newest expansion team in Seattle. AHL Palm Springs is the affiliate team for NHL Seattle. This is where the players will develop before moving up to the NHL.

The new arena will be located in the heart of Palm Springs. It is being built in partnership between The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and Oak View Group (OVG), a global sports venue development company whose other projects include building a US$300m basketball arena for the University of Texas Longhorns, Belmont Park in Elmont New York, in addition to structures in Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Other partners include Live Nation Entertainment and NHL Seattle.

The new state-of-the-art sports and live entertainment venue will seat at least 10,000 and occupy 300,000 square feet on 16 acres of tribal land. An adjoining facility will serve as a community space and training centre for the AHL team.

Tribal Chairman Jeff L. Grubbe said in an interview:

Partnering with OVG gave us an opportunity to diversify. This partnership is going to have a positive ripple effect throughout Palm Springs and even the Coachella Valley because of the jobs and tourism.

The Arena will host not only AHL Palm Springs, but also a number of the best and biggest acts in live entertainment, as Tim Leiweke, CEO of OVG, confirmed:

We look forward to working with Agua Caliente to build what we consider to be one of the most premiere music and professional sports arenas in the world.

Construction on the New Arena at Agua Caliente is scheduled for February 2020 and is scheduled to open for the 2021 AHL Season.

Source & images, courtesy: AHL Palm Springs

Some 200+ clubs & teams, stadia & arenas, sports & entertainment venues, architecture & design firms, producers & suppliers, are to be in attendance at ALSD International – Europe’s one and only event dedicated to the Premium Seat & Hospitality sector – taking place at Croke Park Stadium this October 28-29, where some 50+ high-calibre experts from across Europe and North America will be providing insights on how to increase revenues through new builds, renovations and service expansions, as well as via the latest innovations in F&B and technological offerings.

OVG International President, Sam Piccione, will be joining a panel session to discuss “Top Successes in Sponsorship Activation”, alongside Nathan Kosky, Vice President, UK, AEG Global Partnerships, Justin Wood, Sports Practice Director, Dimensional Innovations,
Jonas Dijan, Venue Manager, Stade de France, and Peter McKenna, Stadium Director, Croke Park Stadium/Commercial Director, The GAA.

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