DENVER — Denver's largest indoor sports and entertainment venue has a new name.
Ball Corporation and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) announced Thursday the downtown Denver entertainment venue Pepsi Center will be renamed Ball Arena.
Ball Corporation and KSE announced the name change as part of a new partnership across three venues in Denver, Los Angeles and London. Ball and KSE will also partner with the Premier League’s Arsenal F.C., which plays in London’s Emirates Stadium, and the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and their home stadium, SoFi Stadium.
Ball Corporation is an aluminum beverage packaging company based in Broomfield.
“It is with great pride that we introduce Ball Arena as the new home of the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Mammoth,” said KSE Founder and Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke. “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 Corporation 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. 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.”
Denver's multi-purpose downtown arena had been named Pepsi Center since its 1999 opening. The arena serves as home of the NBA's Denver Nuggets, NHL's Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League (NLL).
“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,” said John A. Hayes, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Ball Corporation. “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.”
"This announcement is an extension of a relationship that began between Ball Corporation and KSE a year ago with the introduction of their infinitely recyclable Ball Aluminum CupTM. That opened the door to this incredible opportunity, that builds on the importance of aluminum packaging and recycling,” said Michael Ceilley, KSE Senior Vice President, Partnership Marketing & Media Sales. “Working together, we believe this partnership will be transformative and help redefine the way arenas and stadiums operate globally. We are also grateful for PepsiCo’s dedication to elevating the fan experience at our arena for over 21 years, and through ongoing official beverage partnerships with the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Mammoth and Ball Arena.”
"The partnership was founded on a shared vision to advance sustainability in sports and entertainment by strengthening in-venue aluminum recycling, providing fans with a more environmentally friendly fan experience and showcasing aluminum beverage packaging as the most sustainable choice," said Ball Corporation in a news release.
As part of the new partnership, Ball Corporation will be KSE’s Official and Exclusive Sustainability Partner, working with KSE to transition to aluminum beverage packaging – cans, bottles and cups – for 100 percent of the venue’s concessions, with the goal of implementing a closed loop system by 2022, according to a news release.
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