Bankers Life Fieldhouse

Bankers Life Fieldhouse is an indoor arena located in Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It opened in November 1999 to replace Market Square Arena. The arena is the home of the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association. The Fieldhouse also hosts college basketball games (including the annual Big Ten Conference tournaments), indoor concerts, and ice hockey.

Bankers Life Fieldhouse
The entrance to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, October 2012
Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Location in Indianapolis
Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Location in Indiana
Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Location in the United States
Former namesConseco Fieldhouse (1999–2011)
Address125 South Pennsylvania Street
LocationIndianapolis, Indiana
Coordinates39°45′50″N 86°9′20″W
OwnerCapital Improvement Board, City of Indianapolis
OperatorCapital Improvement Board of Managers of Marion County, Indiana
CapacityBasketball: 17,923
Concerts: 19,000
Ice hockey: 12,300
Construction
Broke groundJuly 22, 1997
OpenedNovember 6, 1999
Construction cost$183 million
($281 million in 2019 dollars[1])
ArchitectEllerbe Becket
Blackburn Architects[2]
Project managerJohn Klipsch Consulting, LLC[3]
Structural engineerFink Roberts & Petrie Inc.[4]
Services engineerMoore Engineers, P.C.[5]
General contractorHunt/Smoot[6]
Tenants
Indiana Pacers (NBA) (1999–present)
Indianapolis Ice (CHL) (1999–2004)
Indiana Fever (WNBA) (2000–2019, 2022–future)
Indiana Firebirds (AFL) (2001–2004)

It was originally named Conseco Fieldhouse, as the naming rights to the venue were sold to Conseco, a financial services organization based in nearby Carmel. In May 2010, the company renamed itself as CNO Financial Group, but the Conseco name was retained by the Fieldhouse. In December 2011, CNO Financial Group changed the name of the Fieldhouse to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, after one of its subsidiaries, Bankers Life and Casualty.[7] The Fieldhouse announced on March 13, 2018, that CNO had decided not to renew its naming sponsorship, which expired on June 30, 2019.[8]

In April 2019, a major renovation project for the Fieldhouse was approved by the Marion County Capital Improvement Board. The $360 million project will include a new outdoor entry plaza, new indoor gathering areas, and various interior enhancements. As part of the renovation agreement, the Pacers committed to remaining in Indianapolis for at least 25 more years.[9] Construction will take place in two phases, with the Fieldhouse having planned to host the 2021 NBA All-Star Game in between the phases, which was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost all of the construction work will take place during Pacers offseasons.[10][11] The project will displace the Fever for all of the 2020 and 2021 WNBA seasons, as well as at least part of the 2022 season; that team has announced it will play at Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse during that time.[12]

The arena was built to evoke an Indiana high school and college field house. As such, unlike most other North American sports arenas, it was designed primarily for basketball. The arena can accommodate an NHL-sized rink, but the ice hockey seating capacity is reduced to 12,300 in an asymmetrical configuration.

Events

The first NBA game held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse was on November 6, 1999 when the Indiana Pacers played their regular-season home opener against the Boston Celtics. [13] Later that same season, the Pacers made it to the 2000 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Games 3, 4, and 5 of that championship series were held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, but the Pacers ended up losing that season's title four games to two.

In 2000, Bankers Life Fieldhouse was also the site for the 2000 Ray Miron President's Cup finals. A couple games of the series were held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Indianapolis Ice won the series against the now-defunct Columbus Cottonmouths 4 games to 3 and the cup.

Some of the games of the 2002 FIBA World Championship were played at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, including semifinals and the final.

In 2009, Bankers Life Fieldhouse was the site for the 2009 WNBA Finals. The Indiana Fever took on the Phoenix Mercury for games 3 and 4 of that series, but ended up losing the series. Three years later, the Fever hosted the 2012 WNBA Finals for games 3 and 4 and beat the Minnesota Lynx.

Bankers Life Fieldhouse is a host venue for many different events besides home games for the Pacers and Fever. From 2002 to 2007, the venue served as the site of the Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament in even numbered years while the tournament was held at the United Center in Chicago in odd numbered years. In 2008, the tournament was moved to Bankers Life Fieldhouse exclusively for five years, through 2012. The arena is also a frequent site of the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament. 2012 will mark the 12th time in 13 years that the tournament has been held at the Fieldhouse. On June 5, 2011, the Big Ten Conference announced that beginning in 2013 the location of both of the conference basketball tournaments for the following four years would be alternated between the Chicago area and Indianapolis. Bankers Life Fieldhouse would again be the site for both men's and women's events in 2014 and 2016.[14] The 2011 NCAA Women's Final Four was also held at the Fieldhouse on April 3 and April 5 of 2011. For basketball, the venue seats 17,923 (18,345 from 1999 to 2006, 18,165 from 2006 to 2016).

Additionally, the Indiana Firebirds of the Arena Football League played at the Fieldhouse from 2001 to 2004 and the Indianapolis Ice of the Central Hockey League also played at the Fieldhouse from 1999 to 2004. The venue also hosted select games for the Indiana Ice of the United States Hockey League.

The Professional Bull Riders brought its Built Ford Tough Series bull riding tour, now known as the Unleash the Beast Series, to the Fieldhouse for the first time in January 2011.[15] It was their second visit to Indianapolis; they first visited Indianapolis during the 2004 season when they held a BFTS event at the RCA Dome.[16]

Bankers Life is one of many concert venues in the city of Indianapolis. On March 11, 2019, Metallica set a new attendance record at the venue with 18,274 fans at the venue. The previous record was held by Billy Joel (16,594).[17]

NCAA Tournament

Bankers Life Fieldhouse is set to be one of the venues for the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.[18]

High school sports

In addition to professional events, the arena also hosts the IHSAA state finals in wrestling as well as both girls and boys basketball. It also occasionally hosts other high school tournaments as well.

Concerts

2019
Date Main performer(s) Tour / Concert name Tickets sold Total gross

notes

December 3Celine DionCourage World Tour[19]

Wrestling

WWE has hosted many shows such as Raw and SmackDown.

WCW has hosted the PPV event Sin (2001).[20]

It also hosted many PPV events such as The Great American Bash (2006),[21] SummerSlam (2008),[22] Survivor Series (2012),[23] and Clash of Champions (2016).[24]

The Fieldhouse is notable for being the location of many landmark moments for the professional wrestling group The Shield, who debuted on November 18, 2012 at Survivor Series,[25] broke up on the June 2nd, 2014 episode of WWE Raw[26] and reunited on the October 9, 2017 episode of WWE Raw.[27]

Auto racing

In 2015, the Fieldhouse hosted the Indy Invitational, with midget car racing and outlaw kart racing held on a dirt track erected on the arena floor.[28]

Awards and recognitions

In 2005 and 2006, Bankers Life Fieldhouse was ranked the No. 1 venue in the NBA according to the Sports Business Journal/Sports Business Daily Reader Survey. In 2006 The Ultimate Sports Road Trip reaffirmed Bankers Life Fieldhouse as the best venue in all 4 of the major sports leagues. "The Ultimate Sports Road Trip has recently concluded a re-scoring and re-evaluation of all 122 franchises in the four major sports, based on our personal visits to each of the teams in a journey that began in 1998. Based on our criteria, Bankers Life Fieldhouse has again withstood scrutiny to be named the "best of the best" in the four major sports. Everything about Bankers Life Fieldhouse is top notch, a sparkling venue in a sparkling city," said Farrell and Kulyk.

In October 2004, the Fieldhouse hosted the 2004 FINA Short Course World Swimming Championships. A 25-meter 300,000-gallon competition pool and 174,000-gallon warm-up pool were temporarily installed. A total of 71,659 tickets were sold for the four-day event. The crowd on the evening of Saturday, October 11, 2004 set a record for the largest attendance at a U.S. Swimming event outside of the Olympics with 11,488 people.

Scoreboard

In 2012, a giant state-of-the-art scoreboard was added to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The scoreboard features twin 1080p high definition (HD) video screens, each measuring 50 feet (15 m) long – extending nearly foul line to foul line – by 21 feet (6.4 m) high. In addition to the HD screens running the length of the court, the innovative rectangular scoreboard design is capped by a 25 ft × 14 ft (7.6 m × 4.3 m) full 1080p HD video screen facing each baseline. The result of the design is a greatly improved visual experience from nearly every seat in the building. Additionally, a new sound system was installed.[29]

Arena football

The Fieldhouse was home to the Indiana Firebirds of the Arena Football League from 2001 to 2004 after moving from Albany, New York.[30]

Seating capacity
Years Capacity
1999–2006
18,345
2006–2016
18,165
2016-present
17,923
  • A Pacers' preseason game, showing the original scoreboard, during the Conseco Fieldhouse era
  • Satellite view of Bankers Life Fieldhouse, showing the former Conseco Fieldhouse name
  • Lobby during the Conseco Fieldhouse era
  • Balcony view of the 2013 Crossroads Classic

References
  1. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  2. "Conseco Fieldhouse". Blackburn Architects. Archived from the original on 2013-06-27. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  3. "Conseco Fieldhouse". John Klipsch Consulting, LLC. Archived from the original on 2014-02-21. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  4. "Conseco Fieldhouse" (PDF). Fink Roberts and Petrie, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-02. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  5. Nieto, Mike (December 19, 2011). "Where Are They Now?: John Wilczynski". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Munster. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  6. "Bankers Life Fieldhouse". Ballparks.com. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  7. Ritchie, Carrie (December 22, 2011). "Bankers Life Knocks Conseco Off Fieldhouse Title". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  8. "Fieldhouse to lose Bankers Life moniker after insurer declines to renew naming deal". Indianapolis Business Journal. March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  9. "Pacers, Indianapolis officials ink deal for arena overhaul". Associated Press. April 12, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  10. "UPDATE: CIB approves Pacers deal to fund $360M renovation, expansion of Bankers Life Fieldhouse". Indianapolis Business Journal. April 11, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  11. General, Robert (June 24, 2019). "Bankers Life Fieldhouse will gain outdoor plaza with skating, lose Fever for two seasons". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  12. "Indiana Fever Announce Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse As Home Venue For 2020, 2021 and Part of 2022 WNBA Seasons" (Press release). Indiana Fever. September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  13. https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/IND/2000_games.html
  14. "Big Ten Announces Future Sites for Football Championship Games and Basketball Tournaments - BIG TEN CONFERENCE Official Athletic Site". Bigten.org. Archived from the original on June 12, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  15. "Indianapolis hosts BPR Jack Daniels Invitational". The Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  16. "The Indianapolis Invitational Live On OLN!". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  17. "Metallica Sets Attendance Record at Indianapolis Bankers Life Fieldhouse". Blabbermouth. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  18. "NCAA tournament to be held entirely in Indiana". ESPN.com. 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  19. https://www.celinedion.com/in-concert/
  20. "WCW Sin PPV Results History". TWNPnews.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  21. "WWE Great American Bash 2006 Results". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  22. Martin, Adam (August 20, 2008). "Recent attendance figures for WWE & TNA from August 14 to 17". WrestleView. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  23. "WWE Survivor Series presented by Kmart". Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Archived from the original on 2012-08-27. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
  24. "WWE Clash of Champions - Bankers Life Fieldhouse". Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  25. "WWE Champion CM Punk def. John Cena and Ryback (Triple Threat Match)". WWE. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  26. Caldwell, James. "Caldwell's WWE Raw Results 6/2: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw – PPV fall-out, huge angle at the end of Raw, post-Raw coverage, MITB hype, more". PWTorch.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  27. Keller, Wade. "KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 10/9: Shield reunion continues, Miz TV with Sheamus & Cesaro, TLC build up continues". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  28. Adams, Jeff (October 8, 2015). "Midgets, Outlaws will race indoors". Peoria Journal-Star. Peoria, IL. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
  29. "Best Arena Scoreboard Coming to Bankers Life Fieldhouse".
  30. "AFL Arena List | ArenaFan.com". www.arenafan.com. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
Events and tenants
Preceded by
Market Square Arena		 Home of the
Indiana Pacers
1999–present		 Succeeded by
current
Preceded by
first arena		 Home of the
Indiana Fever
2000–2019		 Succeeded by
Hinkle Fieldhouse
Preceded by
Hinkle Fieldhouse		 Home of the
Indiana Fever
2022–future		 Succeeded by
Preceded by
Olympic Indoor Hall
Athens		 FIBA World Cup
Final Venue
2002		 Succeeded by
Saitama Super Arena
Saitama
Preceded by
Alamodome
San Antonio, Texas		 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
Final Four
2011		 Succeeded by
Pepsi Center
Denver, Colorado
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