The Stadium Rundown - Christmas 2017

Ho ho ho. Merry Christmas. It's time for the Christmas 2017 edition of The Stadium Rundown. This week we will be focusing on an announced project, an ongoing stadium dispute, and a progress update on what seems like a forgotten construction project:

Belmont Park Arena

Belmont Arena Rendering - Source

So that whole Islanders moving to Brooklyn was pretty short-lived and everybody who knows about the situation is not surprised. Barclay's Center was not built for NHL hockey and it was pretty obvious to anyone who ever visited (WSJ subscription required). In addition, the location of the arena (almost 30 miles from the old Nassau Coliseum!) was a challenge for getting their existing fan base on Long Island to the arena.

The Islanders announced last week that they are planning on moving back out to Long Island on the grounds of The famous Belmont Horse Racing Track. They were competing for the land with NYCFC of Major League Soccer, but it's safe to say after last week's announcement, NYCFC (who currently plays at Yankee Stadium) is still looking for a new future home.

The project is expected to be 100% privately financed and the price tag should exceed $1 billion for the entire facility which includes 435,000 sq foot mixed-use development space per the Architects Newspaper. Assuming no hang-ups during the final approvals, the Islanders should be ready to move in for the start of the 2020 season.

The Islanders are expected to play at least one more season at the Barclay's Center, but it's not certain where they will play the year or two between then and when the new arena will be completed. Could we see the Islanders go back to the Nassau Coliseum for a year or two?  Never say never...

Gila River Arena

Gila River Arena - Glendale, AZ

The heavily publicized public spat between the Arizona Coyotes and the city of Glendale has been well documented in the news. With Seattle likely joining the NHL as an expansion franchise, that hurts the Coyotes bargaining power with one possible relocation city off the table. While the Coyotes and NHL have said that the team cannot survive in Glendale long term, they do not have any other options on the table and have renewed their year to year lease for 2018-2019 to remain at Gila River Arena. After having one new arena proposal with Arizona State University already flop, the Coyotes need to make some progress here soon.

As a local who lives here in the Valley of the Sun, it is of my opinion that the primary issue poor location of the stadium. The franchise screwed up in the early 2000s when they took the quick payday to leave growing downtown Phoenix for suburban Glendale. Gila River Arena is an excellent facility that several teams would be lucky to have, but when your hockey demographic is on the east side of the valley and Glendale is on the west side of the valley with no public transportation options, downtown Phoenix rush hour to deal with on the weeknights, and the team has been historically bad in recent seasons. These are all a recipe for struggles...

Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park

Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park - Source

This high profile construction project will become the home of the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams in time for the 2020 season and has largely remained out of the national spotlight for some reason. Originally the facility was set to open in time for the 2019 season, however, due to record rainfall in California, the opening has been pushed back to 2020.

Not a lot else to say here other than there is a 24/7 live webcam of the construction that you can see here.

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year 2018 and cheers to sports.

-D.J.