The Payne Arena is a multi-purpose complex, in

Hidalgo, Texas Hidalgo is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,198 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the estimated population was 14,183. History The area that is now Hidalgo was first settled by Spanish colonists led by José d ...

. It was formerly known as Dodge Arena from 2003 until February 2010, State Farm Arena from 2010 to September 2018, and then State Farm Hidalgo Arena for one year.

Capacity

The

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 ...

seats up to 5,500 persons in its configuration for

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

, indoor football and indoor soccer, and up to 6,800 persons in its center stage concert configuration, which has also been used for boxing events. The arena also features 25 suites, 500 club seats, 2,200 on-site surface parking spaces, an adjacent lounge with access from outside the arena, as well as a bar and a pro shop.ory

History

The arena was built in 2003, at a cost of $23 million, and is owned by the City of Hidalgo Municipal Facilities Corporation. The former DaimlerChrysler Corporation, at that time the owner of the

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

brand, purchased the

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...

to the arena. Country music star

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for blending traditional honky-tonk and mainstream country pop sounds (for a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country"), as well as penning many o ...

gave the first concert at the arena. On February 4, 2010,

State Farm Insurance State Farm Insurance is a large group of mutual insurance companies throughout the United States with corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. Overview State Farm is the largest property and casualty insurance provider, and the lar ...

bought the

for the arena. In June 2014, State Farm extended their naming rights deal for another five years. State Farm does not plan on renewing the naming rights deal once it expires. In September 2019, local car dealership Payne Auto Group assumed the arena's naming rights.

Events

Payne Arena was the home to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

. The team was based at the arena from 2007 until 2018 when their new home,

Bert Ogden Arena The Bert Ogden Arena is an indoor arena in Edinburg, Texas, United States. The arena officially opened in August 2018 and currently houses the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League, replacing their former home of Payne Arena. The aren ...

in Edinburg, was completed. The professional minor league Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees ice hockey team of the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

called the arena home from 2003 to 2012. In 2013 a

junior ice hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

team of the same name began play as a member of the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 48th season of operation in 2022–23. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

and played there until the team relocated to Aston, Pennsylvania, for the 2015–16 season. In 2018, another junior level Killer Bees returned to the Rio Grande Valley in the

USA Central Hockey League The USA Central Hockey League (USACHL) was a junior ice hockey league based in Texas. The league was not sanctioned by any outside hockey governing body, but was structured as a "free-to-play" junior league similar to USA Hockey's Tier I and Tie ...

, but the league folded after six weeks of operation. The Rio Grande Valley Dorados of arena football's

AF2 The AF2 (often styled as af2, and short for arenafootball2) was the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like its parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football ru ...

league were tenants from 2004 until 2009, when the team folded along with the league. The Rio Grande Valley Magic of the Lone Star Football League played in the arena from 2011 through 2012. The Rio Grande Valley Flash of the Major Arena Soccer League were founded in 2012, renamed, as

Hidalgo La Fiera Hidalgo La Fiera (also known as "La Fiera FC") was an American professional indoor soccer team based in Hidalgo, Texas. They played in the Southern Division of the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). The team was founded in 2012 as the Rio Grande ...

in July 2013, and then ceased operations mid-season in December 2014. One notable State Farm Arena concert took place in 2009, when Mexican singer Gloria Trevi performed before a soldout crowd. Trevi has been a resident of the Rio Grande Valley in recent years and presently resides in nearby

McAllen McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States, and the 22nd-most populous city in Texas. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexico–United States border. The city limits extend ...

. Another notable concert featured

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

star

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited for ...

in 2014 as the second-to-last show of his farewell "

The Cowboy Rides Away Tour The Cowboy Rides Away Tour was a concert tour by American country music artist George Strait. The tour was divided into two legs: 21 concerts in 2013 and 27 concerts in 2014, for a total of 48 concerts, all in the United States. The tour started ...

". On October 19, 2014, the arena hosted an

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

pre-season game between the

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

and

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

. In 2016, UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson was held at the arena.

References

External links

Payne Arena
{{Coord, 26, 7, 26, N, 98, 14, 48, W, type:landmark_scale:5000_region:US, display=title Arena football venues Buildings and structures in Hidalgo County, Texas Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States Mixed martial arts venues in Texas Defunct NBA G League venues Rio Grande Valley Vipers Sports venues in the Rio Grande Valley Indoor soccer venues in the United States Indoor arenas in Texas