New South Philadelphia Arena

New South Philadelphia Arena

Location	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Public transit	SEPTA Metro: (NRG) SEPTA bus: 4, 17
Owner	Comcast Spectacor Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment
Operator	OVG360
Opened	2031 (planned)
Tenants
Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) (beginning 2031) Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) (beginning 2031)

The New South Philadelphia Arena is a planned multi-purpose indoor arena located in Philadelphia that will serve as the home of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Scheduled to open in 2031, the arena will serve as a replacement for the Wells Fargo Center, the current home arena for both teams.

The new arena was announced in January 2025 when the 76ers, who had originally planned to build 76 Place at Market East in Center City, cancelled their plans and partnered with the Flyers to build a new arena to be shared by the two teams inside the existing South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Ownership of the arena will be shared between Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), owning entity of the 76ers, and Comcast Spectacor, owning entity of the Flyers. Management of the arena will be through the OVG360 division of the Oak View Group, which is expected to serve as project manager for the new arena.

Background

Main article: 76 Place at Market East

In 2022, the Philadelphia 76ers unveiled plans to construct a new arena in Center City, Philadelphia, under the working title "76 Place at Market East". Under the plan, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) would purchase multiple buildings in the area surrounding the arena site, including the Fashion District Philadelphia shopping mall. The buildings were planned to be demolished to make way for the new arena and other entertainment locations. The arena proposal faced significant opposition, especially among residents and proprietors of nearby Chinatown, who feared the new arena would negatively affect the neighborhood economically. Despite opposition, the Philadelphia City Council approved the arena proposal in December 2024.

Despite gaining approval from city council, plans for 76 Place were dropped after HBSE and Comcast Spectacor announced a deal on January 13, 2025, to build a new arena in the present South Philadelphia Sports Complex instead, with the two ownership groups owning the new arena in a 50-50 joint venture. ^{[1] [2]} Additionally, the arena will be constructed with the intent of hosting a WNBA expansion franchise for Philadelphia. ^[3]

References

1. Moselle, Aaron (January 13, 2025). "Sixers abandon Center City arena plan". WHYY. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
2. "HBSE & Comcast Spectacor Announce Joint Venture to Build World-Class Arena". www.nba.com. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
3. Kariuki, Nick (January 13, 2025). "WNBA team in Philly gets boost as part of Comcast-Sixers megadeal". Billy Penn at WHYY. Retrieved January 14, 2025.