Last year, the Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia 76ers had indicated they were leaving the South Philadelphia Sports Complex and building a $1.3 billion downtown arena in Center City. Now, those plans have changed, with the teams choosing to create a new arena within the existing complex, which also houses other arenas and stadiums for teams like the Philadelphia Wings and Philadelphia Eagles.
According to TalkSport, the new Philadelphia arena will replace the current Xfinity Mobile Arena. That new venue should be ready by the 2031 season, although an option exists to accelerate the process by a year.
Designs for the arena have not been released, but Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HSBE), which owns the 76ers, has teased some concepts.
“We’re going to create an experience, an environment, a home-court and home-ice advantage that’s going to be unlike any other in sports,” HSBE CEO Tad Brown told Front Office Sports.
HSBE, which owns the 76ers, and Comcast, which owns the Flyers, announced that Turner Construction and AECOM will serve as the construction manager for the new arena.
According to TalkSport, the new arena will be purpose-built for the NBA and NHL. It will bear a significant new look to the facility that has been the 76ers’ and Flyers’ home since 1996. The venue will also support a forthcoming WNBA expansion team for Philadelphia. The WNBA awarded Philadelphia a team in June. That team is scheduled to have its first season in 2030.
Beyond serving Philadelphia’s sports teams, HSBE and Comcast officials said they seek to reinvigorate the area in a way that positively supports South Philly.
“It’s very important to both us and to Comcast that we’re making the biggest impact we can in both [downtown and the sports complex],” Brown said.