| Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena | |
|---|---|
| The Vet | |
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| Location | 300 A Philip Randolph Blvd. Jacksonville, Florida 32202 |
| Broke ground | November 27, 2001 |
| Opened | 2003 |
| Owner | City of Jacksonville |
| Operator | SMG |
| Construction cost | $130 million |
| Architect | HOK Sport |
| Capacity | Concerts: 15,000 Basketball: 14,091 Hockey: 13,141 |
| Tenants | |
| Jacksonville Sharks (AFL) (2010-present) Jacksonville University Dolphins men's basketball (2003-present) Jacksonville Barracudas (SPHL) (2003-2007) |
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The Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena is a 15,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Jacksonville, Florida. It was built in 2003 as part of Mayor John Delaney's Better Jacksonville Plan to replace the outdated Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum. The arena was designed, using state-of-the-art techniques, to have the acoustical characteristics necessary for concerts; the first artist to hold a concert in the Arena was Elton John, in November 2003. Since that time, dozens of groups, including country, rap, rock and others have performed in the Arena. In 2006 a scheduled Dixie Chicks concert was cancelled due to lack of ticket sales, which was seen as part of the general backlash against the group's comments on the Iraq War[1], especially in the South.
The Memorial Arena also serves as a multi-functional entertainment venue. Sporting events hosted include the 2004 USA Men's Olympic basketball team in their only game played in the United States, as well as the first and second rounds of the 2006 and 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The arena also hosted the WWE One Night Stand 2007 pay-per-view.
Currently, the Arena is home to the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League and the Jacksonville University Dolphins men's basketball team. The Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena was home to the Jacksonville Barracudas ice hockey franchise until the end of the 2006–07 season, when they were relocated to a smaller hockey arena in the area.
| Preceded by first arena |
Home of the Jacksonville Sharks 2010 – present |
Succeeded by current |
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Coordinates: 30°19′32.77″N 81°38′42.25″W / 30.3257694°N 81.6450694°W
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