June proved to be a busy month for stadium and arena projects, headlined by two major mixed-use developments in the US.
The City of Anaheim unveiled wide-ranging plans to transform the area around Angel Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Angels MLB team, into a mixed-use development featuring parks, shops, residential spaces and restaurants. Plans were unveiled for ocV!BE, a $3bn, 115-acre mixed-use community and live entertainment district that will surround Honda Center, home of the Anaheim Ducks NHL team.
In Canada, Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) announced the team that will develop a C$550m arena that will be the new home of NHL team the Calgary Flames, with DIALOG and HOK chosen to lead the venue’s design. There was also big news for another new NHL arena as Amazon acquired naming rights to the revamped KeyArena in Seattle, intending to use the contract at the new home of the city’s NHL expansion franchise to promote its climate change message.
In Europe, Valencia city council gave the green light for the development of a new arena which aims to be one of the finest in Spain by approving a 50-year concession for the construction and operation of the facility.
In football circles, construction companies BAM Galère and CIT Blaton were selected to deliver the redevelopment of Belgian First Division A club Standard Liège’s Stade Maurice Dufrasne. Italian Serie A club Bologna appointed Fincantieri Infrastructure to design and develop the revamp of its Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.
However, in Australia the New South Wales government announced that it would no longer proceed with plans to upgrade Sydney’s ANZ Stadium, with funds to be redirected towards job-creating infrastructure projects in a bid to boost the local economy following COVID-19.
There was also two significant openings this month. The organising committee for Qatar’s FIFA World Cup officially inaugurated Education City Stadium, the third venue completed for the 2022 tournament. Work on transforming the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field into an elite track and field stadium was completed, making it ready to act as the centrepiece of the postponed World Athletics Championships.
In business news, experience automation platform LiveStyled relaunched as Realife Tech and unveiled a ‘Post-COVID Fan Safety Hub’ to provide key customer-facing technology and help bring live events back once restrictions have eased.
June also brought major hosting rights news as Football Federation Australia (FFA) and New Zealand Football (NZF) pledged to “unlock the huge potential” for women’s football in the Asia-Pacific region after edging out Colombia for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Meanwhile, the ongoing COVID-19 response saw the likes of the NBA, MLB, US Open and Formula 1 set out return to action plans.
Image: City of Anaheim
