Cuneta Astrodome
Encyclopedia
Cuneta Astrodome is an indoor sporting arena located in Pasay, Philippines
. It is better known as the home of the Philippine Basketball Association
from 1993
, when it left the PhilSports Arena
, then known as the ULTRA, until 1998
. It also host to other basketball leagues and political and evangelical gatherings.
The arena is named after Enrique Cuneta, a prominent Pasay city official during the American colonial period.
Despite its name, the Cuneta Astrodome is not a dome-shaped indoor arena
, since its exterior is rectangular in shape.
home after the league signed a five-year deal with the Pasay City government. During the first two years, the league played all of its games (except those played in provinces) at the Astrodome before limiting its schedule to Tuesday and Sunday games, as the league played its Friday games at the Araneta Coliseum
in 1995.
In 1999, after the agreement expired, the league decided to hold most of its games at the PhilSports Arena
and the Araneta Coliseum, its previous home for many years. Although the league hosted a few games at the said venue, it was not used for the duration of the 2000 season. Since 2001, the league has host a decent amount of games at the Astrodome, including several recent PBA championship series games.
It has hosted more than 30 PBA championship series, most recently the Game 4 of the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference Finals
.
Currently, it is an alternate venue for Araneta Coliseum
in hosting the PBA games.
held two games at the Astrodome during the 1999 season. The first is between San Juan Knights
and the Nueva Ecija Patriots
, the other is between Pasig-Rizal Pirates and Davao Eagles.
and the UCAA
. The UAAP held the men's senior basketball championships in 1994 and 1999. The NCAA hosted some championship matchups in the mid-90's with the most recent in 2003, when Letran defeated San Sebastian in the third and final game of the series, the only time it was held at the venue during the series.
In 2005 and 2008, the NCAA held majority of its games at the Astrodome while the UAAP played a series of games in the 2004 and 2007 seasons.
It also hosted the Philippine Basketball League
during the mid-90's and during the 2005 PBL Unity Cup Finals between the champion Welcoat Paintmasters
and the Montana Jewels.
It is also a usual gathering for evangelical events. Some religious organizations who have hosted the event are the Jesus Miracle Crusade, Eli Soriano's Ang Dating Daan and the frequent user of the astrodome is the JESUS CHRIST To God Be The Glory Church International who held their services every Sunday and some major event such as concert, anniverssary among others.
The biggest event hosted by far was in 1994, when the World Wrestling Federation
held a live event
at the said venue featuring a WWF World Championship
match between the then-champion Bret Hart
and his brother, challenger Owen Hart
.
In 1996 The Cranberries
also held their "To the faithful departed" tour in the Cuneta Astrodome as well.
Sharon Cuneta
's 1993 Concert was also held at the Astrodome it was dubbed as Cuneta sa Cuneta.
Taekwondo competitions of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games
were hosted in the venue.
Also Tau Gamma Phi
held its 39th Founding Anniversary last October 4, 2007
The renovated Astrodome debuted on June 30, 2006 during Game six of the 2006 PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series and the Philippines-Lebanon goodwill series in August the same year.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. It is better known as the home of the Philippine Basketball Association
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
from 1993
1993 PBA season
The 1993 PBA season was the 19th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Notable events:*The league moves to its new home, the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.*The league unveils their new logo during the opening ceremonies.*Sta...
, when it left the PhilSports Arena
PhilSports Arena
The Philippine Institute of Sports Arena or PhilSports Arena is an indoor sporting arena located inside the PhilSports Complex in Pasig, Philippines. It was formerly known as the University of Life Training and Recreational Arena or the ULTRA. The arena and its surrounding sports complex are...
, then known as the ULTRA, until 1998
1998 PBA season
The 1998 PBA season was the 24th season of the Philippine Basketball Association .-Season Highlights:*The PBA is in their toughest challenge for the year, with the formation of a new league called Metropolitan Basketball Association, backed by the giant network ABS-CBN, is perceived to be a threat...
. It also host to other basketball leagues and political and evangelical gatherings.
The arena is named after Enrique Cuneta, a prominent Pasay city official during the American colonial period.
Despite its name, the Cuneta Astrodome is not a dome-shaped indoor arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
, since its exterior is rectangular in shape.
Philippine Basketball Association
Built in 1993, the arena became the PBA'sPhilippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
home after the league signed a five-year deal with the Pasay City government. During the first two years, the league played all of its games (except those played in provinces) at the Astrodome before limiting its schedule to Tuesday and Sunday games, as the league played its Friday games at the Araneta Coliseum
Araneta Coliseum
The Smart Araneta Coliseum, known as The Big Dome is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena located in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines...
in 1995.
In 1999, after the agreement expired, the league decided to hold most of its games at the PhilSports Arena
PhilSports Arena
The Philippine Institute of Sports Arena or PhilSports Arena is an indoor sporting arena located inside the PhilSports Complex in Pasig, Philippines. It was formerly known as the University of Life Training and Recreational Arena or the ULTRA. The arena and its surrounding sports complex are...
and the Araneta Coliseum, its previous home for many years. Although the league hosted a few games at the said venue, it was not used for the duration of the 2000 season. Since 2001, the league has host a decent amount of games at the Astrodome, including several recent PBA championship series games.
It has hosted more than 30 PBA championship series, most recently the Game 4 of the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference Finals
2010 PBA Fiesta Conference Finals
The 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference was the best-of-7 championship series of the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference, and the conclusion of the conference's playoffs. The Alaska Aces and the San Miguel Beermen played for the 100th championship contested by the league...
.
Currently, it is an alternate venue for Araneta Coliseum
Araneta Coliseum
The Smart Araneta Coliseum, known as The Big Dome is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena located in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines...
in hosting the PBA games.
Metropolitan Basketball Association
The Metropolitan Basketball AssociationMetropolitan Basketball Association
The Metropolitan Basketball Association or Metroball was a professional basketball league in the Philippines founded in 1998.The MBA overtook the Philippine Basketball Association's plans on regionalization when the league adopted a home-and-away format where teams, instead of representing...
held two games at the Astrodome during the 1999 season. The first is between San Juan Knights
San Juan Knights
The San Juan Knights was a professional basketball team in the Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1999 to 2001. The team enjoyed considerable success, winning the MBA National Championship in 2000. The team was owned by former San Juan mayor, and now Philippine Senator Jinggoy Estrada...
and the Nueva Ecija Patriots
Nueva Ecija Patriots
The Nueva Ecija Patriots was a former professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1999–2001. 2002 PBA MVP Willie Miller was familiar for his initial years with the team when he played for the Patriots from 1999-2000...
, the other is between Pasig-Rizal Pirates and Davao Eagles.
Amateur/Collegiate Leagues
Aside from hosting PBA games, it also held several collegiate leagues such as the UAAP, NCAA, WNCAAWomen's National Collegiate Athletic Association
The Women's National Collegiate Athletic Association is an athletic association in the Philippines exclusively for women. It was founded in 1970. Competition is divided into three divisions: Seniors for college students, Juniors for high school students, and Midgets for grade school and first year...
and the UCAA
Universities and Colleges Athletic Association
The Universities and Colleges Athletic Association is an athletic association of colleges and universities in the Philippines. It was established in 2002...
. The UAAP held the men's senior basketball championships in 1994 and 1999. The NCAA hosted some championship matchups in the mid-90's with the most recent in 2003, when Letran defeated San Sebastian in the third and final game of the series, the only time it was held at the venue during the series.
In 2005 and 2008, the NCAA held majority of its games at the Astrodome while the UAAP played a series of games in the 2004 and 2007 seasons.
It also hosted the Philippine Basketball League
Philippine Basketball League
The Philippine Basketball League is a commercial semi-professional basketball league in the Philippines. The league is composed of several commercial teams with several collegiate and provincial stars.-History:...
during the mid-90's and during the 2005 PBL Unity Cup Finals between the champion Welcoat Paintmasters
Welcoat Dragons
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association owned by the Asian Coatings Philippines, Inc. that debuted in the league in the 2006-07 PBA season. From 1996-2006, it was a member of the semi-professional Philippine Basketball League,...
and the Montana Jewels.
Other events
Outside of sports, it also hosted several evangelical and political gatherings, the most recent by a political campaign for late-actor and Presidential candidate, Fernando Poe Jr. in 2004 and other functions by the opposition party.It is also a usual gathering for evangelical events. Some religious organizations who have hosted the event are the Jesus Miracle Crusade, Eli Soriano's Ang Dating Daan and the frequent user of the astrodome is the JESUS CHRIST To God Be The Glory Church International who held their services every Sunday and some major event such as concert, anniverssary among others.
The biggest event hosted by far was in 1994, when the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
held a live event
House show
A house show is a professional wrestling show run by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive during televised events, as well as test reactions to matches, wrestlers, and...
at the said venue featuring a WWF World Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
match between the then-champion Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
and his brother, challenger Owen Hart
Owen Hart
Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
.
In 1996 The Cranberries
The Cranberries
The Cranberries are an Irish rock band formed in Limerick in 1989 under the name The Cranberry Saw Us, later changed by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan. The band currently consists of O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler...
also held their "To the faithful departed" tour in the Cuneta Astrodome as well.
Sharon Cuneta
Sharon Cuneta
Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan, better known as Sharon Cuneta, is a popular and multi-awarded Filipino singer, actress and TV host dubbed as Megastar of Philippine Entertainment, fondly called Mega by fans and people from the entertainment industry....
's 1993 Concert was also held at the Astrodome it was dubbed as Cuneta sa Cuneta.
Taekwondo competitions of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games
2005 Southeast Asian Games
The 23rd Southeast Asian Games were held in the Philippines from November 27 to December 5 in 2005. The games were participated by the eleven nations of Southeast Asia. This was the first time that the opening and closing ceremonies were held in a large open field, despite the fact that Manila...
were hosted in the venue.
Also Tau Gamma Phi
Tau Gamma Phi
Tau Gamma Phi also known as the Triskelions' Grand Fraternity, is a fraternity established in the Philippines. Its members call themselves Triskelions. Their aim is to see a Fraternity System devoid of violence, and to earnestly propagate their fraternity's principles as their way of life...
held its 39th Founding Anniversary last October 4, 2007
Renovation
In 2006, the Astrodome has been refurbished with new seats and a new floor for basketball games as the venue has shown a tremendous sign of deterioration over the past few years. It is the biggest renovation occurred at the Astrodome as past events resulted in minor refurbishment of the stadium.The renovated Astrodome debuted on June 30, 2006 during Game six of the 2006 PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series and the Philippines-Lebanon goodwill series in August the same year.
See also
- Pasay
- Philippine Basketball AssociationPhilippine Basketball AssociationThe Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...