Take a Look Inside Coralville’s Impressive New Arena [PHOTOS]
One word kept running through my head today as I toured the new Xtream Arena and GreenState Family Fieldhouse in Coralville. Impressive. There's a lot to love about the place that's been in planning for decades.
Wednesday was Media Day at the new venue in the Iowa River Landing in Coralville, and it came with several welcome surprises.
During a press conference, more details were revealed on the All Iowa Attack making a second Iowa home inside the GreenState (Credit Union) Family Fieldhouse that features five basketball courts. All Iowa Attack, the highly regarded youth club basketball academy that's based in Ames, has about 350 girls and boys from 3rd through 11th grade involved in their Ames academy. They expect to double that and host many tournaments on a yearly basis at the Coralville facility.
The Fieldhouse was busy with Pickle Ball games on every court today. See the photos below.
Two museums will also be part of the new facility. Both the Johnson County Historical Society Museum and Antique Car Museum of Iowa will be housed at Xtream Arena. I think those are brilliant ideas. You get to the venue early for a concert or want to take a break during a wrestling tournament, there are two built-in things for you to see and do. The arena will also include a Team Store.
The Iowa women's volleyball team, which plays in the spring, is the first confirmed tenant of Xtream Arena, powered by Mediacom. The arena was actually set up for a match today, as you'll see in the photos below.
The new Xtream Arena already has six of the ten suites leased. In total, the arena has 5,100 fixed seats and can expand to 6,600 for concerts. One of the beautiful things about it is the sections are at most, by my count, 15 rows high. Ten percent of the seats in the arena are gold, while the rest are black.
You can even host a private event for up to 100 people on 'The Green Roof.' More on that is available in one of the photos below.
Now, for the food. Xtream Arena will have your normal concession fares like brats, burgers, fries, hot dogs, nachos, and the like, but they also have an on-site chef. I sampled some of his wares today and they were fantastic. Almost Famous Popcorn from Cedar Rapids will also be available along with Pizza Ranch pizza and breadsticks, and plenty more.
Backpocket Brewery and Big Grove Brewery will both be available on-site, along with a host of other favorites and Coca-Cola products. It was announced that Big Grove has created a new beer in honor of Xtreme Arena. It's called 'Headliner Golden Arena Ale.'
General Manager Jack Ligon mentioned how beautifully everything fits for anyone visiting the complex. A family coming in for a weekend tournament could park the car and never have to drive again until they're ready to head home. Iowa River Landing already offered hotels, restaurants, and retail. Xtream Arena puts the final piece, entertainment, in place.
The first event Xtream Arena will host is the USA Wrestling Senior Nationals, October 9 through 11. Whether you're going for wrestling, a concert, or something else, I have no doubt this is going to be a great place to see just about anything.
Xtream Arena and GreenState Family Fieldhouse will host a ribbon-cutting and grand opening celebration on Thursday, September 17 from 4 to 8 p.m. A community open house follows on Sunday, September 20, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.