NOBLESVILLE — The Indiana Mad Ants moved from Fort Wayne to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in preparation for a new arena in Noblesville. The arena is almost done and the team will have a new name to match.
Noblesville mayor Chris Jensen said the Arena at Innovation Mile near Hamilton Town Center is "80 percent done" and will likely open this summer. The $40 million arena will seat 3,500 people, which is about half the size of the brand-new Fishers Event Center just down Interstate 69.
Jensen said the two new arenas in Hamilton County can coexist.
"We don't view others as competition, they're built differently to house different kinds of events," Jensen said. "We're always competing with one another jokingly, but at the end of the day, if someone in central Indiana lands an opportunity like this or a new business, that's good for the entire region. We have to stop thinking city by city and start thinking region by region and state by state."
The Mad Ants played their last game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Monday afternoon. Some fans such as Dan Vance made the trip down I-69 to watch the Mad Ants' last game.
"The team has meant a lot to me as someone who watched them in Fort Wayne, and as someone who worked for this organization and had the opportunity to do so," Vance said. "It will mean a lot for the people in Noblesville because they've been able to buy into this being their team since the move from Fort Wayne. The more they buy into it, it could be something really special."
Jensen said the team will change their name when they move into the Arena at Innovation Mile. He said Noblesville will be the city name but did not reveal the rest of the name.
"Since we're making the big investment that we're making here for the Pacers, they realize the importance of making sure that Noblesville's name is on the team," Jensen said. "I'm excited to see what they add to the end of Noblesville to make this team official here."
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