Ford Center
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA multi-use indoor arena in downtown Evansville, Indiana, hosting sports, concerts, family entertainment, and civic events.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Ford Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Evansville, Indiana. The venue was developed as a replacement for Roberts Municipal Stadium and opened to the public in November 2011. Designed by Populous, formerly known as HOK Sport, it has a maximum seating capacity of approximately 11,000 and is configured for basketball, ice hockey, concerts, touring shows, and other large-scale events. The arena's principal sports tenants have included the Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team, representing the University of Evansville, and the Evansville Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The University of Evansville women's basketball team also used the arena from its opening until returning its home games to the university campus beginning with the 2017–18 season. The venue previously hosted the Evansville IceMen, but that relationship ended after the team and the City of Evansville were unable to agree on a new lease in 2016. Ford Center's first public event was an Evansville IceMen game against the Fort Wayne Komets on November 5, 2011. Its first concert followed on November 9, featuring Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. The Purple Aces played their first Ford Center game on November 12, defeating Butler in overtime. During its opening year, the arena also presented performers and productions including Elton John, Lady Antebellum, Reba, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Steel Panther with Judas Priest, and Cirque du Soleil's Quidam. Beyond regular tenant schedules, Ford Center has served as a regional and national competition site. Events held there have included a College Basketball Invitational game, the Great Lakes Valley Conference basketball championships, NCAA Division II men's basketball championship competition, and the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Division 1 International Playoffs. These events position the arena as a sports and entertainment anchor for Evansville's downtown district rather than as a conventional consumer product brand. The venue's name resulted from a ten-year naming-rights agreement announced in 2011 with the Tri-State Ford Dealers. Despite the Ford name, the subject is an Evansville arena and is not Ford Motor Company's automotive brand or a Ford-owned vehicle facility. Its business role is venue operation, event presentation, hospitality, and community-based entertainment in southwestern Indiana and the surrounding tri-state region.
History
Ford Center was conceived as a replacement for Roberts Municipal Stadium and as a major downtown redevelopment and entertainment project for Evansville, Indiana. The Evansville City Council approved the arena project on December 22, 2008. The planned development had a stated cost of $127.5 million. Demolition on the selected site began on December 5, 2009. The arena occupies a downtown block bounded by Main Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Sixth Street, and Walnut Street, with the broader plan anticipating a future connection to a convention hotel and the existing convention center. Populous, the architectural and design firm formerly known as HOK Sport, designed the facility. The finished building is an indoor, multi-use arena with a maximum seating capacity of approximately 11,000. Its design supports rapid changes between basketball, ice hockey, concerts, touring productions, and other event formats. The venue's naming arrangement was announced on August 17, 2011. The Ford Center name came from a ten-year, $4.2 million naming-rights agreement with the Tri-State Ford Dealers. This commercial naming relationship distinguishes the arena from Ford Motor Company's automotive operations; the subject is a civic and entertainment venue in Evansville. The arena officially opened in November 2011. Its first public event was an Evansville IceMen hockey game on November 5, when Evansville defeated the Fort Wayne Komets 3–1. Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band presented the first concert on November 9. The University of Evansville's Purple Aces men's basketball team played its first game at the arena on November 12, beating Butler 80–77 in overtime. The opening-year program also included Elton John, Lady Antebellum, Reba, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Steel Panther with Judas Priest, and Cirque du Soleil's Quidam. The University of Evansville became one of the venue's most important regular users. The Purple Aces men's team continues to represent the arena's college basketball identity, while the women's team used Ford Center from its opening before moving its home schedule back to the university campus beginning with the 2017–18 season. The building also hosted a 2012 College Basketball Invitational game, in which Evansville lost to Princeton, and the 2013 Great Lakes Valley Conference basketball championships. Ford Center developed a substantial role as a tournament venue. It hosted NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship games in 2014, 2015, 2019, and each year from 2021 through 2025. In September 2014, it hosted the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Division 1 International Playoffs, organized locally by Demolition City Roller Derby. The event included teams from the United States, England, and Canada, and Evansville's mayor proclaimed the period Roller Derby Week. The arena's hockey history changed in 2016. The Evansville IceMen and the City of Evansville failed to reach agreement on a new lease, and owner Ron Geary announced plans to move the team to Owensboro, Kentucky. The franchise ultimately relocated to Jacksonville, Florida. Evansville responded by securing a new minor-league hockey tenant, the Evansville Thunderbolts, which entered the Southern Professional Hockey League for the 2016–17 season. One notable in-venue sporting achievement occurred on January 18, 2012, when Evansville player Colt Ryan scored 39 points against Bradley, setting an arena record. Through its sports schedule, concert calendar, tournament hosting, and community events, Ford Center functions as a regional downtown anchor for Evansville and the surrounding tri-state area.
- 2016
Hockey tenancy changes
[1]The Evansville IceMen left after lease negotiations failed, and the Evansville Thunderbolts were introduced for the 2016–17 SPHL season.
- 2014
International roller derby playoffs hosted
[1]Ford Center hosted the WFTDA Division 1 International Playoffs, with teams from the United States, England, and Canada.
- 2012
Colt Ryan sets arena scoring record
[1]Evansville Purple Aces player Colt Ryan scored 39 points against Bradley, establishing an arena record.
- 2011
Ford Center name announced
[1]The venue name was announced alongside a ten-year naming-rights agreement with the Tri-State Ford Dealers.
- 2011
Public opening
[1]Ford Center opened in November with an Evansville IceMen hockey game, followed by its first concert and first Purple Aces basketball game.
- 2009
Site demolition begins
[1]Demolition began on the downtown site selected for the new arena.
- 2008
Arena project approved
[1]The Evansville City Council approved the proposed $127.5 million replacement for Roberts Municipal Stadium.
Products and positioning
A downtown regional sports and entertainment arena serving Evansville, the University of Evansville, professional and minor-league teams, touring performers, and tournament organizers.
Venue programming · 2011
Sports events
Ford Center presents and hosts basketball, ice hockey, roller derby, and other sporting events. Its regular sports identity is closely associated with the Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team and the Evansville Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The arena also accommodates collegiate, professional, amateur, and championship competitions.
Live entertainment · 2011
Concerts
The arena's concert business began with Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band in November 2011. Its opening-year schedule also included Elton John, Lady Antebellum, Reba, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and other touring acts. The indoor configuration allows the venue to serve national touring performers in the Evansville market.
Live entertainment · 2011
Family and touring productions
Ford Center can accommodate theatrical, circus, family, and other touring productions. Cirque du Soleil's Quidam was among the productions presented during the arena's first year, demonstrating the venue's use beyond sports and popular music.
Sports tournaments · 2012
Championship events
Ford Center has hosted collegiate and national championship competitions, including the College Basketball Invitational, the GLVC basketball championships, NCAA Division II men's basketball championship events, and the WFTDA Division 1 International Playoffs.
Brand decisions
2016
Replace the departing hockey tenantStrategyBackground
The Evansville IceMen and the City of Evansville failed to agree on a new lease, leaving the arena without its established minor-league hockey tenant.
Action taken
The city brought the Evansville Thunderbolts into the Southern Professional Hockey League for the 2016–17 season.
Aftermath
Minor-league hockey continued at Ford Center under a new team identity after the IceMen ultimately relocated to Jacksonville, Florida.
2011
Adopt Ford Center naming rightsOtherBackground
The new arena required a public-facing name and a commercial naming-rights arrangement.
Action taken
The venue adopted the Ford Center name through a ten-year agreement with the Tri-State Ford Dealers.
Aftermath
The Ford name became part of the arena's identity and public marketing in the Evansville region.
Naming-rights agreement value. $4.2 million (Ten-year agreement announced in 2011)
2008
Approve a downtown replacement arenaStrategyBackground
Evansville sought a new indoor venue to replace Roberts Municipal Stadium and strengthen the downtown convention and entertainment district.
Action taken
The Evansville City Council approved the proposed arena project on December 22, 2008.
Aftermath
The project proceeded to site demolition, construction, and the opening of Ford Center in November 2011.
Project cost. $127.5 million (Project approval in 2008)
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