Islanders Owner Charles Wang was a featured speaker during day two of the '13 Sports Facilities & Franchises Conference in Brooklyn, and during a 30-minute one-on-one he touched on the team's relocation to Brooklyn, the frustrations of ownership and a new deal between his family-owned NeuLion and Barclays Center. Wang: "We have a deal with Barclays to stream some of the events here by NeuLion. ... They have to work through some of the rights issues, but they are going to use NeuLion infrastructure to stream some of the events."
Wang said of relocating to Brooklyn prior to the '15-16 season: "It's been something we've been working on for a long time, in terms of getting to stay in New York, getting a first-class arena and facility to play in, and everything seems to be coming together." When asked about talks with other cities, he said, "There were offers, bona fide offers to move. ... We made the commitment to try everything possible to stay local. It's the New York Islanders." On what pushed him make a move: "My father used to tell me, 'Go where you are loved.'"
For more on the conclusion of SFF and continuing coverage of the Ticketing Symposium, read THE DAILY and our On The Ground blog.
