An Exit Sought For Jersey Arena

New Jersey is suddenly rich in arenas with the Prudential Center in Newark and the Continental Airlines Arena – now Izod Center – in East Rutherford. Maybe it was just a matter of time before things would go sour.

Bergen County officials are sticking up for the Izod Center and pressuring Gov. Jon Corzine to keep it open, according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger, while Essex County officials want to shut it down.

The Izod Center has seen the New Jersey Devils move to the Prudential Center and will see the New Jersey Nets exit for a new stadium in Brooklyn. But the iconic New Jersey arena at the Meadowlands complex is still kicking and has its share of events. Which would be fine, but the Meadowlands was supposed to change into the Xanadu shopping and entertainment center. The arena would disappear, and an AEG-operated concert hall with a 2,200 capacity would be erected.

Carl Goldberg, who chairs the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority that runs the Meadowlands, told the Star-Ledger that the previous NJSEA leadership may have said in 2002 that there would be no competition with Newark, but that was then.

"As long as I have been here, it was never assumed the Izod Center would close when Newark was built," Goldberg said. He has been chairing the NJSEA since 2003.

Meanwhile, Essex executive Joe DiVincenzo is demanding the Izod Center be shuttered.

"Everybody is always talking about how we need to revitalize our cities," DiVincenzo told the paper. "Here’s a chance to do it. This arena is critical to the health of the state’s largest city, and we should be doing every possible [thing] to make sure it succeeds."

Goldberg, meanwhile, says the Izod and the AEG-managed Prudential Center can thrive in the New Jersey market, and released a report he says confirms it. DiVincenzo said the report is biased, written by nine NJSEA commissioners or employees, including former president George Zoffinger.