There is a report that northeast Phoenix could house an arena-villege.
As the 2023 portion of the 2023-2024 National Hockey League season nears its end, there is yet another report that the ownership group of the Arizona Coyotes is looking at another lot of land that could be suitable for an arena-village. Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports’ reported the Coyotes ownership is ‘zeroing in’ on a location near Scottsdale in northeast Phoenix. Morgan wrote that “the site is closer to the greatest wealth concentration of the city in north Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, and it creates easier access for fans in the northwest Valley cities of Glendale and Peoria.” The Arizona ownership might also be interested in a plot of land in Mesa. It appears that the Arizona ownership would like to stay in the Phoenix market if the team CEO Xavier Gutiérrez is to be believed. In November, Gutiérrez said “Arizona needs to be seen as the center of the sports business world in all aspects. If you think of what goes on from November 1st through April, there is literally not a sport, a sporting event, a sports business that doesn’t come and touch this community.”
Gutiérrez does have a point. In addition to NHL games, there are National Football League Arizona Cardinals games, National Basketball Association Phoenix Suns contests, a golf tournament, a tennis tournament, there is spring training baseball and then Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks games. Phoenix is not the center of the sports business world but it is a busy market and Gutiérrez is speaking like a man who wants to be part of the action. But his business still needs land for an arena and then money to fund an arena-village construction project. Tempe voters said no to the Arizona ownership in a referendum on building an arena in town last May. The Arizona arena game continues.
Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191
Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com
