Fiserv Forum, the state-of-the-art new home of NBA basketball team the Milwaukee Bucks, has officially opened its doors.
The arena opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Sunday outside of the arena, with players, team officials and Milwaukee representatives all in attendance.
The ceremony was also attended by former Bucks owner Senator Herb Kohl, who was honoured for his 29-year stewardship of the team with the naming of Herb Kohl Way for the block in front of Fiserv Forum. The event also saw Bucks fans break a Guinness World Record with a 92-feet long by 24-feet wide welcome mat, which was recognised as the world’s largest vinyl floor mat.
Following the ceremony, more than 50,000 people were set to tour Fiserv Forum during the Open House. As well as serving as the home of the Bucks, the 17,500-seat arena will host Marquette men’s basketball games and a range of concerts, family shows and other sports and entertainment events. The Killers will perform at the arena’s Grand Opening ceremony on September 4.
The arena has three clubs, the BMO Club, Mezzanine Club and Panorama Club, with the latter providing sweeping views of the Milwaukee skyline. The arena also features more than 300 distributed antenna systems and 16 wireless access zones, over 12,000 square feet of video displays supplied by Daktronics.
Work on the Populous-designed arena began in June 2016, with Fiserv taking on naming rights to the facility last month.
Bucks co-owners, Wes Edens, Marc Lasry, Jamie Dinan and Mike Fascitelli said: “The opening of Fiserv Forum marks an incredible moment for this community. In the four years that we’ve had the privilege of being stewards of the Bucks, the opening of this world-class venue serves as our proudest achievement.
“Fiserv Forum will be the sporting and cultural heart of Milwaukee, welcoming the very best in sports and entertainment to Wisconsin. We’d like to thank Senator Herb Kohl for his extraordinary contribution to this arena, and to recognise the city, county and state leaders who were committed to this project. As we open the doors today, we also want to express appreciation to the dedicated workers who spent much time and energy in making Fiserv Forum a place that we can all be proud of.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver added: “Congratulations to the Bucks’ ownership group and the entire Milwaukee community on the opening of the incredible Fiserv Forum. It’s a shining example of what a public-private partnership can accomplish and, most importantly, provides the Bucks and their fans a well-deserved, world-class venue. As we celebrate this major milestone in the Bucks’ storied history, let me also recognise the vision of Herb Kohl, without whose commitment and generosity this project would not have happened.”
Image: Milwaukee Bucks
Share this