Akins Ford Arena is an indoor arena under-construction in Athens, Georgia.[1][2] It is part of the Classic Center complex and is intended as an upgrade to the 440 Pavilion, a much smaller 2,000-seat arena. It will become the new home of the UGA Ice Dawgs of the College Hockey South conference and on March 28, 2024, it was announced it would be home to an FPHL expansion team,[3] later named the Athens Rock Lobsters. It will have a capacity of 8,500. Opening is planned for Spring 2024. It is owned by the Unified Government of Athens Clarke County.
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| Former names | Classic Center Arena (2022–2024) |
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| Location | Athens, Georgia |
| Coordinates | 33°57′40.1″N 83°22′14.9″W / 33.961139°N 83.370806°W |
| Public transit | Athens Transit at Athens Multimodal Transportation Center |
| Owner | Unified Government of Athens Clarke County |
| Operator | Classic Center Authority |
| Capacity | 8,500 (in the round concerts) 7,000 (end-stage concerts) 5,500 (hockey) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 28, 2022 |
| Construction cost | $146 million |
| Architect | Perkins&Will and Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart |
| Project manager | Impact Construction Management |
| General contractor | J. E. Dunn Construction Group |
| Tenants | |
| UGA Ice Dawgs (2024–present) Athens Rock Lobsters (FPHL) (2024–present) | |
History
editIn January 2019, the Classic Center Authority announced their intent to construct the new Classic Center Arena adjacent to the existing site.[4] The arena will be connected to the existing Classic Center, the Multimodal Transportation Center and the downtown district via a new elevated walkway.
On August 20, 2024, it was announced that Akins Ford, of Winder, Georgia, had purchased the arena's naming rights for an undisclosed period and sum.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Classic Center Asks for Downtown Tax District to Fund Arena". Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- ^ "Facility Map".
- ^ "Hockey fever in Georgia: New pro team coming to Athens". Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "03: Classic Center Arena Project | Athens-Clarke County, GA - Official Website". www.accgov.com. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
- ^ Dennis, Ryne. "Classic Center Arena announces official name for hockey and concert venue". Online Athens. Retrieved 2024-08-21.