Hospitality & Tourism October 22, 2020 6:26:02 pm

Kroenke to rename Nuggets, Avs venue Ball Arena

A conceptual image shows the interior of the newly renamed Ball Center, home to the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche. Courtesy Ball Corp.

By Lucas High

DENVER — Kroenke Sports & Entertainment LLC, owners of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, will change the name of the teams’ arena from the Pepsi Center to the Ball Arena following the recent signing of a naming rights deal with the Westminster-based can manufacturing giant Ball Corp. (NYSE: BLL).

“Our goal in selecting a long-term international venues partner was to find a Colorado-based company with global renown to grow side-by-side with our talented young teams. Ball Corp. is an ideal fit for that vision, an innovative leader that shares our commitment to our local community, to environmental sustainability and creating quality jobs in Colorado,” KSE founder Stan Kroenke said in a news release Thursday announcing the deal. “We look forward to unveiling Ball Arena and welcoming our fans back home when it is time once again to celebrate live sports and entertainment events responsibly. We ask everyone to continue to stay safe and look after each other so that we can soon enjoy countless amazing memories at Ball Arena.”

In addition to the naming rights deal, KSE and Ball are partnering on a sustainability effort across three KSE-controlled sports venues: Ball Arena; SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers; and London’s Emirates Stadium, home to the Premier League’s Arsenal F.C.

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According to the release, that partnership will include:

At Ball Arena in Denver, Ball will be KSE’s official and exclusive sustainability partner, working with KSE to transition to aluminum beverage packaging – cans, bottles and cups – for 100% of the venue’s concessions, with the goal of implementing a closed loop system by 2022. The partnership will include a comprehensive recycling and sustainability plan designed to strengthen the venue’s collection, processing and reclamation, as well as investments in community education focused on aluminum recycling.
In London, Ball will partner with Arsenal – one of the most watched soccer teams in the world – as its official sustainable aluminum beverage packaging partner. The partnership will explore ways in which Ball can support the club in reducing its impact on the environment and assist with educational initiatives for its global fanbase about the importance of recycling and other green practices. Ball’s partnership with Arsenal builds on both parties’ long history of working to support their community and signals a long-term commitment to a sustainable future.
In Los Angeles, Ball will become the official infinitely recyclable aluminum packaging partner of SoFi Stadium and the Los Angeles Rams. SoFi Stadium – the new, 70,000-seat home to the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers – will feature the company’s infinitely recyclable aluminum cups for draft beer and cocktails. The Rams will use the cups at team training facilities, camps and on game days. Additionally, the partnership will allow Ball to create local sustainability awareness events, targeted community recycling improvements and educational programming.

“This is an important moment in sports and entertainment, and we are proud to partner with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment to advance sustainability in venues by implementing real-world solutions to the packaging waste crisis,” Ball CEO John A. Hayes said in a statement. “We are committed to making recycling an easy, everyday choice for consumers by providing them with infinitely recyclable aluminum cans, bottles and cups that can be used and back on a store shelf in just 60 days, and enhancing recycling infrastructure in venues. We look forward to continuing to work with KSE to bring about positive change for years to come.”