The MARK of the Quad Cities
Encyclopedia
The i wireless Center is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose arena
in Moline, Illinois
. The arena has garnered numerous architectural industry awards since its construction. The facility opened in May 1993, under the name The MARK of the Quad Cities with the singer Neil Diamond
as the opening act.
As of 2010, it is home to the Quad City Mallards of the Central Hockey League
.
and NBA
exhibition contests. The now-defunct Quad City Thunder basketball team played all their home games at the i wireless Center from 1993 until the Continental Basketball Association
folded six years later. Hockey has also been played at the arena since 1995. The first 12 years by the Quad City Mallards of the United Hockey League
then two years as the Quad City Flames
of the American Hockey League
before moving to Abbotsford, British Columbia
. After the Flames left, the Quad City Mallards
were reincarnated in June of 2009, and are still playing at the arena. In 2009, Western Illinois University's club hockey team, the Fighting Leathernecks, became the most recent inhabitants of the arena. They are still playing there even though they are only allowed 4 games per season at the venue.
is 3,000 for theater shows, including Broadway shows, concerts and family shows; 6,000 for amphitheater concerts.
The center has also hosted professional wrestling events, including the 1997 Great American Bash pay-per-view, and numerous broadcasts of World Wrestling Entertainment programming, including Monday Night RAW
, ECW and SmackDown.
The arena contains 31000 square feet (2,880 m²) of arena floor space, allowing the arena to be used for trade shows and conventions; adjacent is 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) of meeting room space and an 11000 square feet (1,021.9 m²) lobby. The attendance record was set in 1996, when more than 12,000 people viewed Neil Diamond's concert.
(formerly Iowa Wireless, a T-Mobile
affiliate) announced a 10-year agreement with The MARK (former name) and the Illinois Quad City Civic Center Authority to secure naming rights to the arena. The name change to the "i wireless Center" occurred July 19, 2007.
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 Moline, Illinois
Moline, Illinois
Moline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...
. The arena has garnered numerous architectural industry awards since its construction. The facility opened in May 1993, under the name The MARK of the Quad Cities with the singer Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
as the opening act.
As of 2010, it is home to the Quad City Mallards of the Central Hockey League
Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its current champions are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which defeated the Colorado Eagles four games to three in the 2011 playoffs....
.
Sporting events
The arena has hosted NCAA Division 1 college basketball games (including the Mid-Continent Conference men's basketball tournament from 1996–99) in addition to several NHLNational Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
and NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
exhibition contests. The now-defunct Quad City Thunder basketball team played all their home games at the i wireless Center from 1993 until the Continental Basketball Association
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
folded six years later. Hockey has also been played at the arena since 1995. The first 12 years by the Quad City Mallards of the United Hockey League
United Hockey League
The United Hockey League was a low-level professional ice hockey league , with teams in the United States...
then two years as the Quad City Flames
Quad City Flames
The Quad City Flames were an ice hockey team that played between 2007 and 2009. They were owned by QC Sports Ventures Inc., an ownership group based out of the Quad Cities. The Flames played at the I wireless Center in Moline, Illinois. They were the American Hockey League farm team of the...
of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
before moving to Abbotsford, British Columbia
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Abbotsford is a Canadian city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, adjacent to Greater Vancouver. It is the fifth largest municipality in British Columbia, home to 123,864 people . Its Census Metropolitan Area, which includes the District of Mission, is the 23rd largest in Canada,...
. After the Flames left, the Quad City Mallards
Quad City Mallards
The Quad City Mallards were a professional ice hockey team competing in the AA level United Hockey League. The Mallards played their home games at The MARK of the Quad Cities in Moline, Illinois. Their team colors were forest green and burgundy. They won the Colonial Cup in 1997, 1998 and 2001,...
were reincarnated in June of 2009, and are still playing at the arena. In 2009, Western Illinois University's club hockey team, the Fighting Leathernecks, became the most recent inhabitants of the arena. They are still playing there even though they are only allowed 4 games per season at the venue.
Configuration
The arena seats up to 12,000 for end-stage concerts and 12,000 for center-stage concerts. It takes only six hours to convert the center into a theater (called The Theater at the i wireless Center). Seating capacitySeating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
is 3,000 for theater shows, including Broadway shows, concerts and family shows; 6,000 for amphitheater concerts.
The center has also hosted professional wrestling events, including the 1997 Great American Bash pay-per-view, and numerous broadcasts of World Wrestling Entertainment programming, including Monday Night RAW
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, ECW and SmackDown.
The arena contains 31000 square feet (2,880 m²) of arena floor space, allowing the arena to be used for trade shows and conventions; adjacent is 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) of meeting room space and an 11000 square feet (1,021.9 m²) lobby. The attendance record was set in 1996, when more than 12,000 people viewed Neil Diamond's concert.
Naming rights
In August 2005, i wirelessI wireless
i wireless is a mobile network operator founded in 1997. Headquartered in Urbandale, Iowa, i wireless is a partnership between T-Mobile USA, Inc. and Iowa Network Services Inc. i wireless owns licenses to operate GSM cellular networks in the PCS-1900 and AWS-1700 radio frequency bands covering...
(formerly Iowa Wireless, a T-Mobile
T-Mobile
T-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
affiliate) announced a 10-year agreement with The MARK (former name) and the Illinois Quad City Civic Center Authority to secure naming rights to the arena. The name change to the "i wireless Center" occurred July 19, 2007.