Arena in Palm Springs Would Host AHL Hockey

A new, privately financed arena that would host an expansion American Hockey League team as well as many other sports and entertainment events has been proposed in downtown Palm Springs, California, as part of an agreement between the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, a federally recognized Indian Tribe, and Oak View Group, a global venue development, advisory and investment company.

The arena would be built on 16 acres of tribal Agua Caliente land. It would be more than 300,000 square feet and feature as many as 10,000 seats along with suites and hospitality clubs. OVG and NHL Seattle has submitted an application for an AHL expansion team that would start play in the arena in 2021. Live Nation Entertainment has also signed on as a strategic partner to supply the proposed arena with a series of touring artists and live events.

“This is a unique partnership that will forever change the face of sports and entertainment in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley,” Tribal Chairman Jeff Grubbe said. “We are creating a healthy community gathering place for Coachella Valley families and visitors from around the world to celebrate, play and experience diverse entertainment opportunities in a state-of-the-art arena.”

The proposed arena would include an adjoining facility to serve as a community space such as conventions, large meetings, award shows and exhibitions, as well as the training center for the AHL expansion team. The entire project would be privately funded. Groundbreaking and construction are scheduled for February 2020, with opening in fall 2021.

“With each venue, we’ve had the privilege of building and managing, Oak View Group has consistently continued to raise the industry standard, and the arena in Palm Springs will be no exception,” said Tim Leiweke, CEO of Oak View Group. “We look forward to working with Agua Caliente to build what we consider to be one of the most premier music and professional sports arenas in the world.”