Rio Rancho Events Center is a 8,000-seat multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectato ...

Rio Rancho Rio Rancho ( es, Río Rancho) is the most populous and only city in Sandoval County, part of the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into northern Bernalillo County. It ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

, a city located near

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

. The arena is located near the intersection of Unser Boulevard and Paseo del Volcan. It is part of a larger "City Center" project, which also includes a new

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

. The multipurpose facility can host concert settings in various capacities, hockey, basketball, indoor football, family shows, rodeos, trade shows and flexible set-ups to accommodate any event.

Santa Ana Star Casino Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel is a Native American casino on the Pueblo of Santa Ana in Bernalillo, New Mexico. The casino is located North of Albuquerque, and right next to Rio Rancho. at 54 Jemez Canyon Dam Road, Santa Ana Pueblo, NM 87004 in San ...

purchased the naming rights to the arena in a five-year, $2.5 million deal signed in July 2006. The arena was previously known as Santa Ana Star Center. The contract was not renewed in 2020, resulting in the arena changing its name back to Rio Rancho Events Center. The arena was completed at a cost of $47 million

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

and opened on October 21, 2006. The first sports event in the arena was a hockey game on October 27, 2006, with the

New Mexico Scorpions The New Mexico Scorpions were a Central Hockey League (CHL) team located in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The team was established in 1996 as a part of the Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL). In 2001, the WPHL merged with the CHL. On July 2, 2 ...

falling to the

Arizona Sundogs The Arizona Sundogs were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in Prescott Valley, Arizona. They played in the Central Hockey League from 2006 to 2014 with their home games at Tim's Toyota Center. History The team name, Sundogs, re ...

3–1 in front of a sellout crowd. In April 2009, the city of Rio Rancho awarded Global Spectrum as the management company for the Arena. In 2019, that contract was renewed. The Events Center is currently home to th
New Mexico Runners
of the

Major Arena Soccer League 2 The Major Arena Soccer League 2 is a North American indoor soccer league that serves as the developmental league of the Major Arena Soccer League. History M2 launched in 2017 to "provide an outlet for teams to either reorganize for a re-emergen ...

and the

Duke City Gladiators The Duke City Gladiators are a professional indoor football team based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, a suburb of Albuquerque, New Mexico. They began play in March 2015 as members of the Champions Indoor Football (CIF) league. The Gladiators played ...

of the

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams am ...

. The center was formerly home to the

New Mexico Mustangs The New Mexico Mustangs were a Tier II Junior A ice hockey team based out of Rio Rancho, New Mexico that began play in the 2010–11 season. They were a member of the North American Hockey League and played in the South Division. The Mustangs pl ...

of the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 48th season of operation in 2022–23. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternat ...

, the

of the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

, the

New Mexico Stars The New Mexico Stars were a professional indoor football team based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The Stars played their home games at the Santa Ana Star Center. They began play in the Indoor Football League (IFL) during the 2012 season as an expa ...

of the

Lone Star Football League The Lone Star Football League (LSFL) was a regional professional indoor football minor league that played three seasons from 2012 to 2014. All of the LSFL's charter teams were based in the state of Texas, with five teams coming from the Southern ...

, the

New Mexico Wildcats The New Mexico Wildcats were a professional indoor football team that played in American Indoor Football (AIF) in the 2008 and 2009 seasons. The team was based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, with home games played at the Santa Ana Star Center (which w ...

of the

American Indoor Football Association American Indoor Football (AIF) was a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America. The AIFL began as a regional league with six franchises on the East Coast of the United ...

New Mexico Thunderbirds New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

, and a venue for

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and va ...

. The arena also hosted a campaign rally for President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...

on September 16, 2019.

References

# Olson, Sean (October 22, 2006). "A Star Is Born." ''Albuquerque Journal''. # Yodice, James (October 28, 2006). "Scorpions Lose to Sundogs at New Home." ''Albuquerque Journal''. # Yodice, James (July 14, 2006). "Naming Rights Go For $2.5M." ''Albuquerque Journal''.

External links

Rio Rancho Events Center Website
{{Authority control Rio Rancho, New Mexico Arena football venues Basketball venues in New Mexico Defunct NBA G League venues Indoor arenas in New Mexico Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States Indoor soccer venues Soccer venues in New Mexico New Mexico Thunderbirds Buildings and structures in Sandoval County, New Mexico Tourist attractions in Sandoval County, New Mexico Music venues in New Mexico Sports venues completed in 2006 2006 establishments in New Mexico