Oklahoma City Ford Center
The Oklahoma City Ford Center is a multipurpose indoor arena that hosts sports events, musical concerts and other shows, school sporting events and community events. Tenants of the center are the NBA team Oklahoma City Thunder, Central Hockey League team Oklahoma City Blazers and the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz of the Arena football2 league (af2).
The Ford Center was an MAPS initiative and was conceived in order to improve the entertainment options in Downtown Oklahoma City. The project was passed by voters of Oklahoma City in 1993. Construction, however, began only in 1999 and was completed in June 2002. Owned by Oklahoma City, it is close to the 15,000-seat Cox Convention Center. Clashing sporting events are generally held simultaneously at the two venues.
The Ford Center is architecturally similar to the Ford Field stadium in Detroit. This 586,000-square foot Center is Oklahoma’s largest indoor arena, with a four level seating capacity of up to 19,675; club seats of 3,380; seven party suites and 49 private suites. It is an important feather in Oklahoma City’s cap, as citizens of the city and visitors have one great place to hang out and catch all the intense sporting action of NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, CHL’s Oklahoma City Blazers, and af2’s Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz. The Center has also hosted “RAW”, “SmackDown!”, and “Unforgiven 2005” WWE events. The next big sporting event is the 2009 Big 12 Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament. A UFC event is also scheduled to be held in 2009.
If you are not looking for sports, the Ford Center is also home to great musical concerts and other exciting events. These events include community programs as well as informative and highly entertaining hi-tech shows based on different subjects of interest, ice shows, and more.
The Oklahoma City Ford Center is located close to hotels that arrange shuttle services to the Center and other places of interest in Oklahoma City.
