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USD Securing Arena Naming Rights
The University of South Dakota is proposing to name its new stadium after a healthcare company that donated $20 million toward its new arena.
Photo: AP Photo/Courtesy University of South Dakota
The University of South Dakota’s $66 million new arena project in Vermillion, pictured in an artist’s rendering, is expected to break ground May 12 and feature 6,000 seats.
The suggested name is Sanford Coyote Sports Center after Sanford Health made the donation in 2012. If approved, the naming rights would be valid for 30 years.
The arena is slated to open in the fall and would host the school’s volleyball and basketball teams. In addition to the $73 million arena, the school will also finish its soccer and track complexes ahead of the 2016-17 school year.
According to the Argus Leader, the former may be named First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex and the latter Lillibridge Track Complex, based on sizable donations received during their respective constructions.
Midco Sports Net already struck a deal with the university March 4, granting it advertising in the venue and broadcast rights to USD events to the tune of $3 million. The university’s Board of Regents will meet March 30-April 1 to make a decision on the proposed names.