Nonprofit Victory Junction Gang Eyes Arena Naming Rights

Charlotte’s Cricket Arena “may soon be known as Victory Junction Coliseum” in a deal proposed by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA), which owns and operates the 10,000-seat arena, according to Erik Spanberg of the CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL. Under terms of the proposal, the ten-year agreement would be worth more than the five-year, $750,000 contract with Cricket Communications Inc. that expired in ’05. The change would “mark an unusual naming-rights concept: putting a nonprofit charity’s moniker on a sports venue.” The Victory Junction Gang Camp opened in ’04 in North Carolina as a “free recreational center for chronically ill children [and] carries extensive NASCAR ties, led by the Petty racing family.” The relationship between the CRVA and NASCAR increased after Charlotte won the bid for the NASCAR HOF. Charlotte City Council members are expected to vote on the proposal next month and, if approved, the new name would go up in May (BIZJOURNALS.com, 2/22).