September saw two major venue openings in the shape of Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders opened the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium on September 21 with a 34-24 win over the New Orleans Saints, although no fans were in attendance. Prior to the game, the Raiders announced that Allegiant Stadium would be the first venue in US pro sports to open as a cashless facility.
The 70,000-seat SoFi Stadium, the new home of the NFL’s Rams and Chargers, opened on September 13 as the Rams defeated the Dallas Cowboys 20-17. At a reported cost of $5bn, the stadium is said to be the most expensive sports venue in history.
English Championship football club Brentford also moved into its new stadium on September 7 and marked the occasion with an EFL Cup victory over Wycombe Wanderers. The stadium is also serving as the home of the London Irish rugby union team.
Also in September, Manchester City Council give the green light for a new 23,500-seat arena in the city developed by Oak View Group. UK consumer co-operative Co-op later acquired naming rights to the arena, which will officially be known as Co-op Live when it opens in 2023.
The plans were opposed by ASM Global, operator of the Manchester Arena, which underwent a rebrand of its own in September through a deal with online electricals retailer AO.
Elsewhere on the sponsorship front, Brazilian pharmaceuticals company Neo Quimica was unveiled as the new naming-rights sponsor of Arena Corinthians, home of São Paulo-based football team Corinthians.
Image: SoFi Stadium
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