The Payne Arena is a multi-purpose complex, in

Hidalgo, Texas Hidalgo is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. Its population was 11,198 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, and in 2020, the population had risen to 13,964. History The area that is now Hidalgo was first settled by Spanis ...

. 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 venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

seats up to 5,500 persons in its configuration for

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

, 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 where a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event (most often sports venues), typical ...

to the arena. Country music star

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is known for performing a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country", as well as writing many of his own songs. Jackson has recorded 21 studi ...

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

State Farm Insurance State Farm Insurance is a group of mutual insurance companies throughout the United States with corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. Founded in 1922, it is the largest property, casualty and auto insurance provider in the United ...

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 The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won f ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

. The team was based at the arena from 2007 until 2018 when their new home, Bert Ogden Arena 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 ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from ...

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 50th season of operation in 2024–25. 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, but the league folded after six weeks of operation. The Rio Grande Valley Dorados of

arena football Arena football is a variety of gridiron football designed to be played indoors. The game is played on a smaller field than American or Canadian football, designed to fit in the same surface area as a standard North American ice hockey rink, an ...

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 r ...

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 The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a professional indoor soccer league in North America. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico. The league is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. The le ...

were founded in 2012, renamed, as Hidalgo La Fiera 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 Gloria de los Ángeles Treviño Ruiz (born February 15, 1968), known professionally as Gloria Trevi, is a Mexican singer, songwriter and actress. She is known for her emotional lyrics, performances, and lasting influence on Latin music, being ...

performed before a soldout crowd. Trevi has been a resident of the Rio Grande Valley in recent years and presently resides in nearby McAllen. Another notable concert featured

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

star

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait has sold over 120 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He holds ...

in 2014 as the second-to-last show of his farewell " The Cowboy Rides Away Tour". On October 19, 2014, the arena hosted an

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

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 of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

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 Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

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

References

External links

Payne Arena
Buildings and structures in Hidalgo County, Texas Ice hockey venues in Texas Mixed martial arts venues in Texas Rio Grande Valley Vipers Sports venues in the Rio Grande Valley Indoor soccer venues in the United States Sports venues completed in 2003 2003 establishments in Texas {{Texas-stadium-stub