Noble(sville) Romans? Pacers announce new G-League Partnership

[MyFavMartin]

https://www.nba.com/pacers/news/nobl...ue-partnership

Interesting...


NOBLESVILLE, IN (May 8, 2023) – Today, the City of Noblesville announced a transformational partnership with Pacers Sports & Entertainment to bring the Mad Ants, the company’s affiliate in the NBA G League, to Noblesville. THE NBA G League is the second most prominent men’s basketball league in the world, behind only the NBA.


To accommodate the move, Noblesville plans to build a new 3,400 seat, 85,000-square-foot arena on the east side of the city.


“We are excited to welcome Pacers Sports & Entertainment to Noblesville along with the players, coaches and staff of the G League team,” Mayor Chris Jensen said. “The Pacers are an iconic brand with deep roots in central Indiana. Partnering with such an impactful organization opens numerous opportunities for our community and drives forward our efforts for a larger sports and entertainment district with enhanced partnerships.”


The new arena is anticipated to open during the 2024-2025 season, and the team would play at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in the interim. City and team officials are working through due diligence steps with local partners and plan to build the arena at Finch Creek Park near the Mojo Up Sports Complex, which generates nearly 1 million visits per year. The city expects to draw 65,000 fans annually to Noblesville and Finch Creek just for games, which is already the second most visited area in Hamilton County for sports visitors.


“We are working with the Pacers and other partners on programming options for the arena on days it is not used by the Pacers. The facility would be available for events like IHSAA tournaments and competitions, concerts, conferences, corporate events and graduations,” Jensen said. “Further steps are being taken to finalize development and programming partners, which may also incorporate additional project features and recreational amenities.”


The franchise will remain the Mad Ants through the 2023-2024 season. A new mascot will be unveiled prior to the 2024-2025 season and Mad Ants, a name with a special tie to Fort Wayne, will be retired.


“The G League is world-class basketball, and PS&E is proud to bring that to Noblesville as we strengthen our basketball operations and enhance player development in one of the state’s most vibrant and growing communities,” Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Rick Fuson said. “We are excited about the way this partnership fits into the bold vision for economic development Mayor Jensen has laid out, and we can’t wait to continue growing our NBA and G League fan base right here in Hamilton County.”


At the Noblesville Common Council meeting on May 9, a 10-year partnership agreement between the City of Noblesville and Pacers Sports & Entertainment will be presented. The agreement includes $5 million in cash investment from PS&E, which will also lead an effort to secure another $5 million in naming rights and signage over those 10 years, as well as $36.5 million from the city in building the arena.


“We welcome the new partnership with the Pacers,” said Noblesville Common Council President Aaron Smith. “The administration and council have made proactive, smart investments to assist with the financing of this partnership. We are excited to continue the strategic growth on the east side of our city and provide a new attraction for our residents and guests.”


Featuring 30 teams — 28 with one-to-one affiliations with NBA franchises — the G League offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere.


“Fifty-four percent of NBA players have G League experience. Noblesville will compete in 27 media markets in 21 other states, plus Mexico and Canada,” Jensen said. “Noblesville also has a proud history of being a basketball community, including 1998 Mr. Basketball Tom Coverdale and the 2022 Millers Girls Basketball State Champions. Adding our partnership with the Pacers only cements us as a destination for basketball and youth sports.”

[CableKC]

Is Noblesville a larger city in Indiana that will be able to draw more local fans?

[Roaming Gnome]

Might as well rename them... General Mad ANThony Wayne doesn't seem like quite the fit for Noblesville. I know most of my friends & family up in Fort Wayne felt like the team wasn't the communities team & lost interest when they started playing home games in Indy. I knew it wouldn't be long for this squad to be looking for a new home.

[Sandman21]

Almost should partner with the Indy Fuel on the arena they are already building in Fishers to be honest.

[Cubs231721]

Is Noblesville a larger city in Indiana that will be able to draw more local fans?

No, it's essentially a suburb of Indy although on the very edge of it. Population of only about 70,000. It's about 30 miles northeast of the Fieldhouse.

[iogyhufi]

Frustrating. As a Pacers fan from the northern part of the state (South Bendish), it's hard enough to get any bones thrown our way as it is. (I still remember sitting courtside at the preseason Pacers-Bulls game at ND—a highlight of my high school days.) I can't honestly say I see the need for this; the Mad Ants were at least some connection to the Pacers we had up here. Hard to think people in the 'burbs will be terribly interested in going to Ants games when they have so many better options.

It's not a huge deal, but as someone who's never lived close enough to Indy to get Pacers games on TV but still close enough to be in the League Pass blackout range, it's a bit irksome to lose the one small thing we had up here.

(Side note: I was told once that FW wanted to build the Ants a new arena downtown, but county officials stymied it because the Coliseum was under their control.)

[Roaming Gnome]

Is Noblesville a larger city in Indiana that will be able to draw more local fans?

I live near the feeeway & That is a 45 min trip for me on a good traffic day. I believe this will be a major mistake for both Fuel Hockey & Mad Ants because anything south of the Norther suburbs will have an hour or more to travel for MINOR LEAGUE SPORTS.


I'm curious who pulled the plug in Fort Wayne? I know there was apathy when PS&E started splitting home games with Indy. It didn't feel like Fort Wayne's team anymore.

[dal9]

I live near the feeeway & That is a 45 min trip for me on a good traffic day. I believe this will be a major mistake for both Fuel Hockey & Mad Ants because anything south of the Norther suburbs will have an hour or more to travel for MINOR LEAGUE SPORTS.


I'm curious who pulled the plug in Fort Wayne? I know there was apathy when PS&E started splitting home games with Indy. It didn't feel like Fort Wayne's team anymore.

yeah and even people who live in that area...who's gonna choose to go to a mad ants game instead of driving a little bit more to an actual pacers game? extremely lazy people??

[Ozwalt72]

I live near the feeeway & That is a 45 min trip for me on a good traffic day. I believe this will be a major mistake for both Fuel Hockey & Mad Ants because anything south of the Norther suburbs will have an hour or more to travel for MINOR LEAGUE SPORTS.


I'm curious who pulled the plug in Fort Wayne? I know there was apathy when PS&E started splitting home games with Indy. It didn't feel like Fort Wayne's team anymore.

Beats the drive to Ft Wayne.

Also, from a Pacers-centric perspective - logistics sending players back and forth is a lot easier.

[rock747]

The Mayflower trucks pulled out of Fort Wayne in the dead of night.

[BobbyMac]

I can't say i'm a great fan of the this move. Ft Wayne was the site of the first NBA team in Indiana, the Ft Wayne Pistons. They predated the 2nd NBA team the Indianapolis Olympians. The Pistons then moved to Detroit, ( very sad to say I have an instence dislike for the Pistons fans, much like I dislike the Bulls fans. Probably because I set in the cheap seats and have had to sit close to multiple obnoxious fans from both teams.) There may be some very good reasons to move the Mad Ants, but I really liked the idea of honoring the home of Indiana's first NBA team.

[Rogco]

I'm with BobbyMac on this. People in Noblesville can get to the fieldhouse in 35 minutes to watch the Pacers play, they don't need a G-League Pacers team. Logistically, it probably is a lot easier for the Mad Ants to fly out of Indy and for visiting teams to get to the stadium. Would have preferred that the team stay in Ft Wayne, or if they were set on moving, go to another Indiana city.

[RamBo_Lamar]

Listened to this being dicussed on "The Ride" the other day. The new arena will seat 3400 and be close to Ruoff music center. They will eventually drop the "Mad Ants" name too. Maybe they'll come up with something original like the "Nobles"? (lol) With Fishers closeby and the way that whole area keeps expanding, I expect they will do well giving the locals an affordable option to watch some pro ball.

For more details: https://www.indystar.com/story/sport...e/70196524007/

[Granville]

Don’t forget Anderson as a former NBA town too, with the Packers.

[MyFavMartin]

It was announced that Ants will play at Gainbridge next season with the thought the new facility will be ready for ‘24-‘25, with the team getting a complete rebrand.

so of course I suggest the Noble(sville) Romans