Footprint Center (formerly America West Arena, US Airways Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena and Phoenix Suns Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in Phoenix, Arizona. It opened under the name America West Arena on June 6, 1992, at a cost of $89 million.
Basketball, arena football, concerts, ice shows and other events such as wrestling are held in the arena.
Capacity
The arena seats 17,071 for basketball, 16,210 for ice hockey and indoor football, 17,716 for in-the-round concerts, 12,565 for end stage concerts, and 4,379 for theater events.
Early years
The Coyotes hosted their first regular season home game in Arizona at the arena on October 10, 1996, with a 4–1 win over the San Jose Sharks. They finished the 1996–97 season with a 38–37–7 record to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. That playoff appearance was short-lived, with a Game 7 loss to the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Just over seven years later, the team played their last home game within Phoenix city limits with a 5–2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on December 15, 2003.
Its most common nickname is "The Purple Palace", though during the Rattlers' season it is known as "The Snake Pit".
NBA
The arena's capacity for basketball games was originally 19,023, but it was reduced after the 2002–03 season to 18,422, then again to 18,055 before the 2014–15 season.
The arena has seen its share of memorable basketball moments. In its inaugural season, it hosted three games of the 1993 NBA Finals between the Suns and the Chicago Bulls; it also hosted three games of the 2021 NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Mercury hosted WNBA Finals games in 1998, 2007, 2009, 2014 and 2021. It also played host to the 1995, and the 2009 (and will host the 2027) NBA All-Star Games and the 2000 WNBA All-Star Game.
In bull riding, the Professional Bull Riders hosted a Built Ford Tough Series (formerly the Bud Light Cup) at the arena between 1999 and 2002. The annual event moved to Glendale in 2004 before it returned to downtown Phoenix in March 2014.
WWE Raw, September 30, 2019 (served as the season premiere of Raw, with a new logo, new commentary team (Vic Joseph, Jerry Lawler, Dio Maddin), new theme song ("Legendary" by Skillet), and a new stage design)
WWE SmackDown, August 20, 2021 (first WWE event the arena hosted since the COVID-19 pandemic, and final SmackDown before that year's SummerSlam took place the next day)
WWE SmackDown, July 1, 2022 (final SmackDown before that year's Money in the Bank took place the next day)
Van Halen made a stop in Phoenix on April 1, 1995, as part of their The Balance "Ambulance" Tour.
Gloria Estefan played here on July 30, 1996, during her "Evolution" World Tour.
American jam band Phish performed at the arena on December 2, 1996, towards the end of their 1996 Fall Tour.
Irish rock band U2 has performed in the arena multiple times, including two stops during their 2001 Elevation Tour on March 28 and November 23 of that year. In 2015, they visited the arena again for two dates of their Innocence + Experience Tour on May 22 and 23.
On February 8, 2022, Tyler, the Creator performed at the Footprint Center for his first show on the Call Me If You Get Lost Tour.
On February 19, 2022, Andrea Bocelli performed at the Footprint Center for his United States Tour.
On March 1, 2022, Satanic Doo-Wop Band Twin Temple, Danish metal band Volbeat, and Swedish metal band Ghost performed at the Footprint Center on the final leg of their US Tour.
Construction began on August 1, 1990, as former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo envisioned a need for a new arena to be built in Phoenix to replace Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. About 27 months later, Footprint Center was officially inaugurated with the Suns' 1992–1993 season opening 111–105 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on November 7, 1992. Simultaneously, it also was Charles Barkley's first regular season game as a Sun. Despite the fact that the Suns had lost the 1993 NBA Finals to the Chicago Bulls, a parade was still held and attracted more than 300,000 Suns fans. It made its way through downtown Phoenix and finished at the new arena.
When the original Winnipeg Jets publicly announced their intention to relocate to Phoenix for the 1996–97 NHL season, the arena was quickly reconfigured to accommodate ice hockey. Unlike most multipurpose arenas, it was not designed with an ice hockey rink in mind. Its tight seating configuration is suited for basketball, but made it logistically difficult to fit a standard NHL rink onto the floor. The lower level had to be sheared in half to fit the rink and create retractable seating.
As it turned out, the result was completely inadequate for the Coyotes. Three entire sections at one end of the ice hung over the boards. Fans sitting in those sections could not see roughly one-fourth of the ice (including one of the nets) except on the video boards. The problem was so serious that after the team's first season in Phoenix, the team had to curtain off some seats in the areas where the view was particularly obstructed, reducing the arena's listed capacity to 16,210.
The arena added a second video board for an area of particularly obstructed views, and proposed numerous plans to improve sight lines and boost the seating capacity above 17,000, though these did not come to fruition. The Coyotes were forced to sell many obstructed-view tickets at a reduced price. Additionally, an unfavorable lease caused further financial troubles that impacted the team for much of the time it played at the arena. The Coyotes moved into Glendale Arena midway through the 2003–04 NHL season.
Renovations
Footprint Center underwent its second significant renovation in its history. The Phoenix City Council approved the plan on January 23, 2019, involving the arena, with the Phoenix Suns paying up to $80 million alongside any overrun costs. The first renovation, completed in March 2003, had a 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m) air-conditioned glass-enclosed atrium built on the northwest side of the arena. That $67 million project was constructed to keep patrons cool while waiting in line for tickets or spending time inside the building before events. The arena upgrades have been done as part of the Suns' plan to keep it economically competitive after Desert Diamond Arena opened. Former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo originally thought of the renovations after visiting Staples Center in Los Angeles and envisioned a similar entertainment district in Phoenix.
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona forced a pause to the Suns' 2019–20 season and allowed for an early start to the most recent renovations. Up to 80% of all planned work was completed in time for the 2020 preseason home opener, a 112–107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on December 16, 2020. The Mercury originally planned to play their 2020 WNBA season home games at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, but relocated all of the season's games to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The Rattlers had their 2020 IFL season cancelled, but played their first home game of the 2021 season on June 12, 2021, against the Tucson Sugar Skulls. The arena renovations would be fully completed by the end of the Suns' 2021 NBA Finals run.
Use by City Council
Members of the Phoenix City Council were criticized in 2022 for using a suite in Footprint Center to watch games and concerts. The council subsequently voted to consider leasing out the suite.
Naming rights
The original arena naming rights contract was sold in January 1990 to Tempe-based America West Airlines. The venue was known as America West Arena from its opening until 2006.
The previous year, America West purchased rival carrier US Airways. Although America West was the surviving airline, it took the US Airways name as did the venue. This was the second arena that the company owned the naming rights after the now-demolished US Airways Arena (formerly Capital Centre) in Landover, Maryland.
Talking Stick Resort in nearby Scottsdale secured the new naming rights with an official announcement outside the Casino Arizona Pavilion on December 2, 2014.
The name change to Talking Stick Resort Arena was completed in September 2015, in time for the start of the 2015–16 Phoenix Suns season.
After negotiations on a contract extension stalled earlier on in the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona, Talking Stick Resort officially announced the naming rights deal expired on November 6, 2020. Until a new agreement was reached, the venue was known as Phoenix Suns Arena; prior to this, it was briefly known as PHX Arena.
On July 16, 2021, it was announced that Gilbert-based materials science company Footprint had secured the arena naming rights, naming it the Footprint Center as part of a long-term partnership with the Suns ownership and the company. The naming change would go into effect by Game 5 of the 2021 NBA Finals for the Suns.
