Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
Encyclopedia
The Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena is a 15,000 seat multi-purpose arena
in Jacksonville, Florida
. It was built in 2003 as part of Mayor John Delaney
's Better Jacksonville Plan
to replace the outdated Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum
.
The arena was designed, using state-of-the-art techniques, to have the acoustical characteristics necessary for concerts; the first artist to hold a concert in the Arena was Elton John
, in November 2003.
Since that time, dozens of groups, including country, rap, rock and others have performed at the arena.
In 2006, a scheduled Dixie Chicks
concert was cancelled, due to lack of ticket sales, which was seen as part of the general backlash against the group's comments on the Iraq Warhttp://www.mp3.com/news/stories/4903.html, especially in the South.
The Memorial Arena also serves as a multi-functional entertainment venue.
Sporting events hosted include the 2004 USA Men's Olympic
basketball team
in their only game played in the United States
, as well as the first and second rounds of the 2006
and 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
.
The arena also hosted the WWE One Night Stand 2007
pay-per-view
.
The arena also hosts frequent WWE shows throughout the year.
of the Arena Football League and the Jacksonville Dolphins
men's basketball team. The Jacksonville Giants
, a member of the American Basketball Association, also play their home games at the Veterans Memorial Arena. It was named host to the 2011 ABA All-Star Game
, to take place on February 26, 2011. Starting in 2012, it will be home to the Jacksonville Bullies
of the North American Lacrosse League
.
The Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena was home to the Jacksonville Barracudas
ice hockey
franchise until the end of the 2006–07 season, when they were relocated to a smaller hockey arena in the area.
It has also hosted PBR Built Ford Tough Series
events in the past.
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...
in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. It was built in 2003 as part of Mayor John Delaney
John Delaney
John Adrian Delaney is an American lawyer, politician and university administrator. He currently serves as the president of the University of North Florida. A member of the Republican Party, he served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 1995 to 2003...
's Better Jacksonville Plan
Better Jacksonville Plan
The Better Jacksonville Plan is a growth management plan implemented by the city of Jacksonville, Florida. It was the signature project of Mayor John Delaney. It was approved by Jacksonville voters on September 5, 2000...
to replace the outdated Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum
Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum was an 11,000-seat multi-purpose arena, in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. Built in 1960 and known as "northern Florida's most historic concert venues", it was home to most of the city's indoor professional sports teams and hosted various concerts, circuses and...
.
The arena was designed, using state-of-the-art techniques, to have the acoustical characteristics necessary for concerts; the first artist to hold a concert in the Arena was Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, in November 2003.
Since that time, dozens of groups, including country, rap, rock and others have performed at the arena.
In 2006, a scheduled Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
concert was cancelled, due to lack of ticket sales, which was seen as part of the general backlash against the group's comments on the Iraq Warhttp://www.mp3.com/news/stories/4903.html, especially in the South.
The Memorial Arena also serves as a multi-functional entertainment venue.
Sporting events hosted include the 2004 USA Men's Olympic
United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics
The United States was represented at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, by the United States Olympic Committee . The delegation of 613 athletes was the largest the country has ever sent to the Summer Olympics...
basketball team
Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Helliniko Olympic Indoor Arena in Athens, Greece for the preliminary rounds, with the latter stages being held in the Olympic Indoor Hall at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex....
in their only game played in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, as well as the first and second rounds of the 2006
2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball season...
and 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:*March 18 / 20*March 25 / 27*March 26 / 28Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held on April 3 and 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium, hosted by the Horizon League and Butler University, as per the NCAA's...
.
The arena also hosted the WWE One Night Stand 2007
One Night Stand (2007)
One Night Stand was the third annual One Night Stand professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on June 3, 2007 at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW brands...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
.
The arena also hosts frequent WWE shows throughout the year.
Tenants
Currently, the Arena is home to the Jacksonville SharksJacksonville Sharks
The Jacksonville Sharks were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They competed for part of the 1974 season in the World Football League, a failed attempt to launch a major professional football league in the United States in competition with the National Football...
of the Arena Football League and the Jacksonville Dolphins
Jacksonville Dolphins
The Jacksonville University Dolphins are the athletics team of Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. The Dolphins participate in NCAA Division I athletics, and are members of the Atlantic Sun Conference, the National Lacrosse Conference, and as the Pioneer Football League.-Sports...
men's basketball team. The Jacksonville Giants
Jacksonville Giants
The Jacksonville Giants are a professional minor league basketball team based in Jacksonville, Florida, who play in the new American Basketball Association . They joined the ABA as an expansion team for the 2010–2011 season...
, a member of the American Basketball Association, also play their home games at the Veterans Memorial Arena. It was named host to the 2011 ABA All-Star Game
2011 ABA All-Star Game
The 2011 American Basketball Association All-Star Game was held in Jacksonville, Florida at the 15,000 seat Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on February 26, 2011....
, to take place on February 26, 2011. Starting in 2012, it will be home to the Jacksonville Bullies
Jacksonville Bullies
The Jacksonville Bullies is an American professional indoor lacrosse team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They are a charter member of the North American Lacrosse League...
of the North American Lacrosse League
North American Lacrosse League
The North American Lacrosse League is a men's professional indoor lacrosse league based in the United States, set to begin play in January 2012. The league will be North America's third professional lacrosse league, after Major League Lacrosse and the National Lacrosse League...
.
The Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena was home to the Jacksonville Barracudas
Jacksonville Barracudas
The Jacksonville Barracudas were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were established in 2002, and played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League , the World Hockey Association 2 , and the Southern Professional Hockey League , before folding in 2008.They won...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
franchise until the end of the 2006–07 season, when they were relocated to a smaller hockey arena in the area.
It has also hosted PBR Built Ford Tough Series
Built Ford Tough Series
The Built Ford Tough Series is the "major league" tour of the PBR competitions. It is a 30-city event series culminating in the PBR World Finals every year in Las Vegas, Nevada. The top 45 riders of the PBR compete in the BFTS with the rankings determined by points and money won...
events in the past.