| U.S. Century Bank Arena | |
|---|---|
| Former names | Sunblazer Arena (1986–1987) Golden Panther Arena (1987–2004) Pharmed Arena (2004–2008) FIU Arena (2008) |
| Location | University Park 11200 S.W. 8th Street Miami, Florida 33199 |
| Broke ground | 1983 |
| Opened | February 1, 1986 |
| Owner | Florida International University |
| Operator | Florida International University |
| Surface | Wood |
| Capacity | 6,000 |
| Tenants | |
| FIU Golden Panthers (NCAA) (1986–present) | |
U.S. Century Bank Arena (formerly known as FIU Arena) is a 6,000-seat multi-purpose arena at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. It was opened on February 1, 1986 and is home to the FIU Golden Panthers basketball and volleyball teams. It was originally named "Sunblazer Arena" but was renamed "Golden Panther Arena" when FIU's athletic teams changed their nickname from Sunblazers to Golden Panthers in 1987.
The 94,000-square-foot (8,700 m2) arena contains a 19,000-square-foot (1,800 m2) wooden arena floor. It is also used for banquets, conventions, concerts (seating up to nearly 6,000), trade shows, and graduations including FIU's own commencement ceremonies.
The main court is a Cincinnati Robbins perma-cushion maple wood basketball floor, made up of some 19,000 square feet (1,800 m2) of wood. Four retractable basketball backboards allow for the floor to be divided into two practice courts, while Hydra Goal II portable basketball standards are used for intercollegiate competition. Nevco scoreboards are found at either end.
Support areas include an equipment room, training room and 876 lockers in six different, full-service dressing rooms. Academic space in the building includes three classrooms, and physiology, computer and kinesiology laboratories. Additionally, there are four, four-wall, fully air conditioned racquetball courts with a spectator viewing area for recreational and tournament usage.
In late 2008, U.S. Century Bank bought naming rights to the arena, changing the arena's name to U.S. Century Bank Arena. The arena will undergo a $5 million dollar renovation project set to begin in Summer/Fall 2010, with a completion date of early 2011.
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