“A lot of great basketball history here,” Hutchinson said. The city is a basketball town, Hutchinson said, sending forth such notables as Carmelo Anthony, Mugsy Bogues, Skip Wise and Sam Cassell. When the CIAA tournament returns in 2023, it will be the first event in the upgraded facility, Hutchinson said. The arena, built in 1961, in March will begin undergoing a $200 million renovation, in which VenuesNow parent company Oak View Group is a partner. All the greats came through that arena, including Bobby Dandridge (Norfolk State University) when he was with the Milwaukee Bucks.” At one time, the Baltimore Bullets which are now the Washington Wizards, played in Baltimore and that’s where Earl “the Pearl” Monroe (who went to Winston-Salem State University) cut his teeth. Being right in the heart of downtown Baltimore is of value and the third component is, (the venue) has great basketball history. “They can also walk to some restaurants near the arena. “Secondly, it’s right in our downtown footprint so people can walk from their hotels to Royal Farms Arena.,” he said. “It’s a smaller arena than (Spectrum Center in Charlotte) and we’ll create an environment of excitement and intimacy,” Hutchinson said. Royal Farms Arena will host all women’s and men’s games, unlike Charlotte, where games were spread out across multiple venues for the initial rounds. I believe the CIAA president (LaTaya Hilliard-Gray/Winston-Salem State University) just loved what we put on paper and now the rest is history.” It was city, state and private sector led. “Economically it made sense to bring people to the city who stay at hotels and go to restaurants,” he said. Meetings with the mayor and state representatives garnered support for hosting the tournament and the time of year was ideal as well, as it’s typically a slow period for Baltimore and its meeting and event facilities, he said. We had more conversations with the CIAA staff, with the commissioner.” I attended the tournament as a kid and knew what it was all about. “I was very familiar with the CIAA growing up in Richmond (Virginia). “We said, ‘Yeah, let’s talk about it,’” Hutchinson told VenuesNow. Hutchison said the CIAA reached out to city officials in 2018 to see if there was interest in hosting the tournament, which was a powerful economic driver in Charlotte, giving the city a roughly $50 million economic boost each year, but there were some violent incidents that marred the festivities. The tournament is sponsored by corporate partners Coca-Cola, Food Lion, Nationwide and Lowe’s.Īl Hutchison, president and CEO of Visit Baltimore, the city’s non-profit destination marketing organization, said the event is a good fit for Charm City. The 12-college CIAA is the oldest historically Black athletic conference and this year the basketball tournament, the conference’s most popular event that has drawn as many as 150,000 to the host city in past years, will be in the first of a multi-year broadcast partnership with ESPN. In 2021, the event was held “virtually,” with a host of activities streamed online, but no games, in what was to have been the first year in Baltimore after 15 years in Charlotte. 22-26 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament, an event that had traditionally taken place in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Getty Images) Event moved to Baltimore in 2021 after 15 years in Charlotteīaltimore’s Royal Farms Arena is set to host the Feb. Since 2014, it held the name of Royal Farms Arena.Royal Farms Arena, seen here before a 2015 game between the Maryland Terrapins and Princeton Tigers, will play host to the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament Feb. MORE: Long awaited groundbreaking for Royal Farms Arena renovation "I'm not just excited about the name, but I'm excited about what's to come," said Scott.īlink-182 and Bruce Springsteen are among some of the performers set to perform at the new venue. The arena was the old home of the Baltimore Bullets, hosted the Beatles, Prince and Michael Jackson. This is gonna be a gamechanger," Williams said. The "Happy" singer was named as a partner for the project. The renovations are designed to expand seating, upgrade lighting and redesign the exterior of the building with new glass materials and exterior sails. RELATED: Royal Farms Arena is one step closer to getting a whole new look The group is also partnering with Maryland native Kevin Durant for renovations. BALTIMORE - Pop star Pharrell Williams, Mayor Brandon Scott, and Ravens legend Ray Lewis announced that the Baltimore Arena will now be known as CFG Bank Arena.įormerly known as Royal Farms Arena, the Oak View Group has invested $150 million into this project.
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