Stockton Arena is an indoor

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 spectator ...

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquired Rancho Campo de los Franceses. The city is named after R ...

. It opened in December 2005 and seats a maximum of 12,000 fans. It is the home venue of the Stockton Kings of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA D ...

. Former tenants include the

Stockton Heat The Stockton Heat were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2015 to 2022. The team was based in Stockton, California, and was affiliated with the National Hockey League (NHL) Calgary Flames. The He ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...

, the Stockton Lightning

arenafootball2 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 ...

team, the

Stockton Cougars The California Cougars were an indoor soccer team, founded in 2004. The team was a charter member of the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL-Pro), the first division of arena (indoor) soccer in North America. They played their home matches at ...

Professional Arena Soccer League A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

team, the

Stockton Wolves The Stockton Wolves were a professional indoor football team, initially based in San Jose, California and subsequently moving to be based in Stockton, California. As the San Jose Wolves, the team played its home games at the Cow Palace, located i ...

independent indoor football team, the

California Eagles California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

American Indoor Football American Indoor Football (AIF) was a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America. The AIFL began as a regional league with six franchises on the East Coast of the United ...

professional indoor football team and the Stockton Thunder of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

from 2005 until 2015. The Stockton Arena is part of a downtown, waterfront entertainment center which includes

Banner Island Ballpark Banner Island Ballpark is a baseball stadium located in Stockton, California, on the Stockton waterfront, which seats 5,200 people with 4,200 fixed seats. It is the home field of the Stockton Ports, a minor league affiliate of the Oakla ...

, the home of the

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at ...

minor league baseball team and the University Plaza Waterfront Hotel, all part of the

Stockton Waterfront Events Center The Stockton Waterfront Events Center is a commercial complex in Stockton, California on the Stockton waterfront. Also known as the Waterfront Entertainment Complex, it includes the 12,000-seat Stockton Arena, the 5,000-seat Banner Island Ba ...

History

The Arena is part of a master-planned waterfront design on the western edge of the downtown Central Business District. The

360 Architecture 360 Architecture was an American architectural practice acquired by HOK in 2015. The firm provided services for a range of project types including corporate headquarters and commercial office buildings, sports arenas, stadiums and ballparks, mun ...

designed venue is situated next to the Stockton Ballpark. A multi-purpose sporting and event center, the arena was envisioned as part of the region's quality of life improvements. Construction delays and inclement weather caused the Stockton Thunder and

California Cougars The California Cougars were an indoor soccer team, founded in 2004. The team was a charter member of the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL-Pro), the first division of arena (indoor) soccer in North America. They played their home matches at ...

to play on extended road trips during the beginning of their 2005/2006 season. Stockton Arena opened its doors to the public on December 2, 2005 with a Neil Diamond concert. The first sporting event was a Stockton Thunder hockey game on December 10, 2005 in front of a sold out crowd of 10,117, a game where the Thunder beat the Phoenix RoadRunners, 4–0.

Events

The Stockton Arena hosted the 2008 ECHL All-Star Game, WWE

house show A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that t ...

s for both

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes sim ...

/ ECW and Raw, and the July 26, 2008 EliteXC: Unfinished Business MMA event. On March 15, 2009, the California Cougars won their first ever league championship in the Stockton Arena, as the 2008–2009 PASL-Pro North American Champions. On December 9, 2009, the arena hosted the "Stockton Showcase" which featured a matchup between the nationally ranked

California Golden Bears The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club tea ...

and the

Pacific Tigers The Pacific Tigers represent the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, in intercollegiate athletics. The Tigers compete in NCAA Division I, and are currently in their second stint as members of the West Coast Conference (WCC). Con ...

men's

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

teams in front 8,704 fans, the largest crowd ever to see a Pacific Tigers basketball game in Stockton. On June 19, 2014, the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertain ...

announced that the arena would host a split-squad exhibition game featuring the Sharks and the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce ...

on September 23. The Sharks won 5–3. On August 29, 2015, the arena hosted ArenaBowl XXVIII, which featured the

Jacksonville Sharks The Jacksonville Sharks are a professional indoor football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, playing their home games at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Beginning in 2017, the Sharks began play as charter members of the National Arena Leag ...

and the

San Jose SaberCats The San Jose SaberCats were a professional arena football team based in San Jose, California. The SaberCats had been members of the Arena Football League (AFL) since 1995 (the year in which the team was founded); and until 2015, they belonged to ...

, with the SaberCats winning in what would be their final game.

References

External links

Official website
{{NBA G League arenas American Basketball Association (2000–present) venues Arena football venues Indoor arenas in California Indoor ice hockey venues in California Indoor soccer venues in California Mixed martial arts venues in California Music venues completed in 2005 NBA G League venues Sports venues completed in 2005 Sports venues in Stockton, California Stockton Kings Music venues in California Tourist attractions in San Joaquin County, California Buildings and structures in Stockton, California 2005 establishments in California