Rio Rancho Events Center is an 7,000-seat multi-purpose

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 ...

Rio Rancho Rio Rancho () is the largest and most populous 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 is the third ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, a city located near

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

. 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 municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

. 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 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: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...

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 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, ...

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 (MASL 2) is a North American indoor soccer league that serves as the Minor league, developmental league of the Major Arena Soccer League. History MASL 2 launched in 2017 to "provide an outlet for teams to either r ...

and the Duke City Gladiators of the

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional indoor American football league in the United States. The league comprises 14 teams, divided equally between the Eastern Conference (EC) and Western Conference ...

. The center was formerly home to the New Mexico Mustangs 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 50th season of operation in 2024–25. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

, the New Mexico Scorpions 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 of the

/ Lone Star Football League, the New Mexico Wildcats of the

American Indoor Football Association American Indoor Football (AIF) is 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, of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

, and a venue for

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, ...

. 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 is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

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

* {{Authority control Rio Rancho, New Mexico Basketball venues in New Mexico Indoor arenas in New Mexico 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