Moody Center is a multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

on the campus of the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

(UT) in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. The arena, which replaces the

Frank Erwin Center The Frank C. Erwin Jr. Center (commonly known as Frank Erwin Center or UT Erwin Center and originally Special Events Center) is an inactive multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. It is also ...

, stands on a former parking lot located immediately south of UT's soccer/track and field venue, Mike A. Myers Stadium. The arena seating capacity is 15,000+ seats, total.

History

In 2018, it was announced that

Oak View Group OVG Oak View Group, LLC is an American Global Advisory, Development and Investment Company for Sports and Live Entertainment industries. Based in Los Angeles, it was formed on November 16, 2015 by Tim Leiweke and his business partner, Irving Azof ...

and UT agreed to form a public-private partnership, to build a new $375 million arena. The arena will replace the Frank Erwin Center as the home for the Texas Longhorns basketball programs, and will also function as a world-class events center for the city of Austin. The new arena is named the Moody Center following the

Moody Foundation The Moody Foundation is a charitable foundation incorporated in Texas and based in the island city of Galveston. It was chartered in 1942 by William Lewis Moody Jr. and his wife Libbie Rice Shearn Moody ''"to benefit, in perpetuity, present and ...

's grant of $130 million to the university. Oak View Group is funding the construction, and will manage the building in exchange for the right to keep most of the income from non-UT events, such as concerts and shows, for at least the first 35 years after opening. UT, however, owns the land under the arena and will be the owner of the building. Under the terms of the agreement, the university will have exclusive control of the arena for 60 days each year to hold men's and women's basketball games, graduations, and other events. Oak View Group, along with partners Live Nation and

C3 Presents C3 Presents is a concert promotion, event production and artist management company based out of Austin, Texas. C3 also produces several multi-day festivals including Austin City Limits Music Festival in Texas, Voodoo Music + Arts Experience in Ne ...

, will have the right to hold events on the other days. The groundbreaking ceremony took place just south of Mike A. Myers Soccer Stadium on December 3, 2019. The arena held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 19, 2022 and opened to the public on April 20 with a two-night concert featuring John Mayer. George Strait and

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...

had two shows on April 29–30, 2022.

Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known by the initials DMB) is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. The band's founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer and bac ...

performed the opening night of their 2022 Summer Tour on May 11. The arena held its first

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

event on June 18, 2022, hosting UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Emmett. The

Texas Longhorns men's basketball The Texas Longhorns men's basketball team represents The University of Texas at Austin in NCAA Division I College basketball, intercollegiate men's basketball. The Longhorns currently compete in the Big 12 Conference. The University of Texas be ...

team held their home opener November 7, 2022 at the Moody Center against the

UTEP Miners The UTEP Miners is the name given to the sports teams of the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). They are informally referred to as the Miners, UTEP, or Texas–El Paso. UTEP was a member of the Western Athletic Conference from 1967 to 2005, ...

. The Longhorns marked their first home victory at the arena outscoring UTEP 72-57 with an attendance of 11,313 spectators. In an attempt to expand their market reach into Austin, the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

will play two home games at the Moody Center on April 6 and 8, 2023 against the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves respectively, marking the first NBA regular season games to be played in Austin.

References

{{Texas Longhorns women's basketball navbox University of Texas at Austin Multi-purpose stadiums in the United States Texas Longhorns basketball venues College basketball venues in the United States Sports venues in Austin, Texas Basketball venues in Texas Indoor arenas in Texas Sports venues completed in 2022 2022 establishments in Texas