Arena Monterrey is an indoor
arena
An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...
in
Monterrey
Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...
,
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. It is primarily used for shows, concerts and indoor sports like indoor soccer, arena football and basketball. It used to be the home arena of the
Monterrey Fury
The Monterrey Fury were a Mexican team playing in a United States–based soccer league. The team was awarded a Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008), Major Indoor Soccer League expansion franchise for the 2003–2004 season. The most nota ...
indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer is a form of five-a-side football, five-a-side or six-a-side version of minifootball. It is derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arenas. It differs from the FIFA, FIFA ...
team and the
Fuerza Regia
The Fuerza Regia de Monterrey (''Monterrey Royal Force'' in English) is a Mexican professional basketball team based in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico playing in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). They currently play their home g ...
, a professional basketball team in the
Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional
The National Professional Basketball League ( or LNBP), officially known as the Liga Grupo Caliente, Caliente LNBP for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball sports league, league in Mexico. The league was founded in 2000 with 1 ...
; the
Monterrey La Raza, a team in the
NISL; and the
Monterrey Steel, an
indoor American football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football designed to be played indoors. The game is played on a smaller field than American football, American or Canadian football, Canadian football, designed to fit in the same surface area as a standa ...
team in the
National Arena League
The National Arena League (NAL) is a professional indoor football league that began play in 2017. As of the end of the 2024 season, the league consisted of five teams.
A team's typical payroll budget is $600,000 per season, but as of the 2022 ...
.
The Arena Monterrey is owned by Publimax S.A. de C.V. (
TV Azteca
Televisión Azteca, S.A.B. de C.V., commonly known as TV Azteca, is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate owned by Grupo Salinas. It is the second-largest mass media company in Mexico after Televisa. It primarily competes with Televisa as well as so ...
Northeast), part of the Avalanz Group, who owns 80% and by
TV Azteca
Televisión Azteca, S.A.B. de C.V., commonly known as TV Azteca, is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate owned by Grupo Salinas. It is the second-largest mass media company in Mexico after Televisa. It primarily competes with Televisa as well as so ...
who owns 20%. The arena is 45,000 m
2 (480,000 square feet) in size.
History
The project of the arena started in 1989 when the Asociación para el Fomento de Deporte y Recreación A.C, led by the businessmen
Jorge Lankenau and Hernan Garza presented the project to the then president
Carlos Salinas. The project gained support from the Government of the State of
Nuevo León
Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...
who gave the land for the arena to be constructed within the limits of
Fundidora Park.
The arena was originally planned to begin construction in May 1992, and finished by 1993, but the construction actually started in January 1994, and was planned to be finished by 1996. However, due to the
1994 economic crisis in Mexico
The Mexican peso crisis was a currency crisis sparked by the Mexican government's sudden devaluation of the Mexican peso, peso against the United States dollar, U.S. dollar in December 1994, which became one of the first international financial ...
, in May 1995 the project suffered a slowdown in the construction industry and finally came to a complete halt by 1996, due to the lack of economic resources.
In April 2001, the Government of the State of
Nuevo León
Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...
invited 11 groups of investors to discuss the possibilities of restarting the construction of the arena. On June 1, 2001, the government announced that there were only five groups of investors willing to take over the debt and finish up the project and 2 weeks later, Publimax S.A. de C.V. was announced winner of the contest because it was the group with the most money eager to invest in the project (US$50 million).
Before the construction was restarted, Hernán Garza accused the government of illegally revoking the concession that was given to him to build and finish the project. The government revoked the concession because of the halt of the project in 1995, but Garza alleged that the economic crisis obliged him to stop it for some time. This, among other problems such as the government delay in giving full control of the arena and Publimax rejecting any investment until control was fully given (which happened in July 2002), caused the project to restart by the end of 2002 with an estimated finish date by the first trimester of 2004.
However, by the last trimester of 2003, the project was almost completed and the first event in the arena took place on Thursday November 27, 2003, with a concert performed by Mexican singer-songwriter
Juan Gabriel
Alberto Aguilera Valadez (; 7 January 1950 – 28 August 2016), known professionally as Juan Gabriel (), was a Mexican singer-songwriter and actor. Colloquially Honorific nicknames in popular music, nicknamed Juanga () and El Divo de Juárez, ...
.
Events
International summits
*Press Center for the
Monterrey Special Summit of the Americas
The Special Summit of the Americas was held on January 12 and 13, 2004 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico.
This summit is part of the Summit of the Americas initiative which is carried on by the Organization of American States with the purpose of ...
– January 2004
Sports events
*First
WNBA game outside the United States:
Detroit Shock
The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions.
Debuting in 1998, the Shock were one of the league's first expansion franchises. Th ...
vs
San Antonio Silver Stars – May 2004
*Pre-season
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
Games:
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...
vs
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...
– October 2006 and
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...
vs
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...
– October 2009.
*In 2004,
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
(WWE) made its debut in Mexico with WWE RAW: Wrestlemania XX Revenge Tour in Monterrey.
*The first
WWE Raw
''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It currently airs Live television, live every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Netflix. The show fe ...
house show
A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in o ...
took place on April 3, 2004; after the huge success by the Mexican fans, ''Raw'' returned on November of that same year. The
SmackDown brand debuted in January 2006 with a sellout.
*In October 2008, SmackDown made its return, and
ECW its Arena Monterrey debut, with the Survivor Series Live Tour with two dates; October 16 and 17.
*
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...
(TNA) also had a house show in November 2006. In December 2007 TNA was supposed to have another house show in Arena Monterrey, but for some reason it was cancelled.
*
Lucha Libre AAA World Wide
Promociones Antonio Peña, S.A. de C.V. d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (commonly referred to as simply AAA, pronounced "Triple A" – an abbreviation of its original name Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración de Espectáculos, ) is a Mexican lu ...
(AAA) held the
Héroes Inmortales III event on September 26, 2009, and the
Héroes Inmortales pay-per-view on October 9, 2011, at the arena.
*8th Shito-Ryu Karate-Do World Championships were held October 17–23, 2015, at the arena.
[https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10207017046456470&id=1589052252&comment_id=10207021803695398&ref=m_notif¬if_t=feed_comment_reply&actorid=1169131848 ]
*
Monterrey Steel National Arena League
The National Arena League (NAL) is a professional indoor football league that began play in 2017. As of the end of the 2024 season, the league consisted of five teams.
A team's typical payroll budget is $600,000 per season, but as of the 2022 ...
football in 2017.
*
Monterrey Kings coming to
Arena Football One in 2025.
Concerts
Others
*
Nuestra Belleza Mexico 2008 – September 2008
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
2003 establishments in Mexico
American football venues in Mexico
Mixed martial arts venues in Mexico
Volleyball venues in Mexico
Basketball venues in Mexico
Indoor soccer venues
Boxing venues in Mexico
Indoor arenas in Mexico
Monterrey La Raza
Sports venues completed in 2003
Sports venues in Monterrey
Wrestling venues in Mexico