Historic fairgrounds arena has a new name
INDIANAPOLIS — The iconic arena at the Indiana State Fairgrounds now has a new name: Corteva Coliseum.
The Indiana State Fair Commission announced the naming rights deal with Corteva, an Indianapolis-based agriculture science business, Wednesday morning. The new sponsorship replaces the coliseum’s deal with Indiana Farmers Insurance, which lasted for a decade. Terms of the new deal were not disclosed.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Corteva Agriscience to bring a new era to the Coliseum,” said Indiana State Fair Commission executive director Cindy Hoye in a statement to the media. “This partnership will help us continue to provide world-class events and experiences for Hoosiers.”
“The Coliseum holds a special place in the hearts of many, and we’re honored to be a part of its future,” said Corteva CEO Chuck Magro in the same statement.
The coliseum opened in 1939 and hosted events such as Indiana Pacers basketball, a speech from then-President John F. Kennedy, The Beatles’ only concert in Indiana, and an appearance from the Dalai Lama.
It now hosts several IU-Indianapolis basketball games and the Horizon League basketball tournaments.
“Every time you walk in there, you can feel the history, and we are proud to have the Horizon League be a small part of that,” said Horizon League associate commissioner Shawn Sullivan. “It grows every year, and I think Corteva probably sees the same thing. An iconic destination for all sorts of events.”
There’s a lot of competition for those events in Central Indiana. The new Fishers Event Center lured the Indy Fuel away from the State Fairgrounds this year and Corteva Coliseum also compares to Gainbridge Fieldhouse and Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The coliseum underwent a complete renovation in 2014, after which the Fuel moved into the arena.
Sullivan said the Horizon League is satisfied with Corteva Coliseum and will remain there through at least the 2025-2026 season.
“We’ve had our media day there and we’ve hosted our championships there,” Sullivan said. “The partnership there has been so fruitful for us, we hope it has been the same for the Corteva Coliseum folks and no question that those conversations will be continuing.”
The name change to Corteva Coliseum is effective immediately. It is the third naming rights deal for the venue, which was known as Pepsi Coliseum from 1991 to 2012 and Indiana Farmers Coliseum from 2014 until this year.
