Climate Pledge Arena: A History of Hosting the NCAA Tournament and More

Climate Pledge Arena, a multi-purpose indoor arena in Seattle, Washington, has a rich history of hosting various sporting events, concerts, and other entertainment events. Located north of downtown Seattle in the 74-acre (30 ha) entertainment complex known as the Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, for which it was originally developed. The arena is currently home to the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), Seattle Torrent of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), the Seattle University Redhawks men's basketball team, and the Rat City Roller Derby league of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association. It has also played host to the Pac-12 Conference's women's basketball tournament and may be used as host venue for the Big Ten Conference's Women's Basketball and Men's ice hockey tournaments in the future. Among these events, the NCAA Tournament holds a special place, bringing excitement and economic benefits to the city.

Seattle's Strong History with the NCAA Tournament

Seattle has a pretty strong history with the NCAA tournament,” said James Sido, the public relations director for the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA). The Seattle Sports Commission partnered with the University of Washington to secure the bid and bring the NCAA tournament to Seattle. College hoops have brought the Big Dance to Seattle, and hosting the early rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is helping local hotels, restaurants, and other attractions be the big winners this weekend. This is the first time Seattle has hosted the event in a decade. Former Pac-12 teams Arizona and Oregon are among the eight schools playing first-round games Friday at Climate Pledge Arena.

Economic Impact

More than 18,000 people are expected to attend the games, and Visit Seattle estimates an economic impact of $13.6 million. “Hotels, restaurants, those are probably two areas where you're going to see a pretty heavy economic impact,” Sido said. “It's going to be an exciting couple of days at Seattle Center and really all of downtown. All of downtown should feel some impact from this happening."

Showcasing Seattle

Between games, scenic TV shots of Seattle might be seen when returning from commercial breaks, highlighting the city’s natural beauty and picturesque skyline. “It puts us on a national stage,” Knox said. “The fact that we have this compact downtown footprint is unique,” Knox said. “People can easily walk from a sports venue to shopping, the waterfront, and all these activities so that really plays in our favor."

Climate Pledge Arena as a Host Venue

Climate Pledge Arena’s location at the base of the Space Needle and on the Seattle Center campus puts student-athletes and fans in the center of Seattle. Free public transit for all ticket purchasers provides easy and sustainable access to the arena via The Seattle Center Monorail to the downtown transit hub. The 18,100-seat multi-purpose venue located at Seattle Center has hosted over 250 public and private events each year. Climate Pledge Arena, located at Seattle Center, is the complete redevelopment of an historic landmark, originally built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair.

Future NCAA Events

“We are ecstatic to be awarded another NCAA® championship event in 2028. We think we are the premier sports venue in Seattle and have a proven track record of hosting world-class events our past three years of being open,” said Steve Mattson, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Climate Pledge Arena. “Our Seattle Center location is ideal for all sports fans from around the country to come to support their teams and take in all Seattle has to offer. “It is an absolute privilege to again be selected as a host city by the NCAA®,” said Seattle Sports Commission President & CEO Beth Knox. UW Athletics Director Pat Chun noted, “We are pleased to partner with Climate Pledge Arena and the Seattle Sports Commission to host the First & Second Rounds of the 2028 NCAA® Men’s Basketball Tournament and to also partner with Seattle Golf Club in hosting the 2028 Women’s Golf Regional.

Seattle University Redhawks at Climate Pledge Arena

Seattle University men’s basketball continues its three-game homestand with the season’s first (of five) games to be played at Climate Pledge Arena. tip-off on Sunday, Dec. 7. As part of the evening, the 1966 Seattle U team that handed Texas Western (the forerunner of UTEP) its only loss of the season before the Miners went on to win the NCAA Tournament, will be recognized. Several former members of that SU team are planning to be in attendance. Seattle U (6-2, 0-0 WCC) vs. Seattle U earned a 97-43 win over Puget Sound on Dec. The six wins through eight games is the best start to a season since 2022-23. That year, the Redhawks won five straight before suffering a loss. Redshirt freshman Ray Adams had a breakout performance against Puget Sound, recording the team’s first double-double of the season. Seattle U pulled down a season-high 56 rebounds - more than a quarter of its season total of 204 through the first seven games. The Redhawks have shot better than 50% from the field in four of their first eight games and have shot over 45% in every contest. Brayden Maldonado made his first 21 free throws of the season before suffering a miss. Seattle U is 4-0 in games played in Seattle, most memorably a 74-72 win on March 5, 1966. That SU win was the lone blemish on the Miners’ otherwise perfect season that ended in an NCAA Championship. Seattle U hosts all four other Division I programs in the state of Washington during the 2025-26 season. Seattle U has gone 55-14 (.797) on its home court during the past four+ seasons under Head Coach Chris Victor.

Battle in Seattle

“We are thrilled to bring back the Battle in Seattle,” incoming Gonzaga Director of Athletics Chris Standiford said. “The Emerald City has so many GU alums and supporters. The event has such a rich history, and we are looking forward to a great environment in a new state of the art arena.” The 2021 Battle in Seattle will be the 14th edition of this event, but the first since 2015 where Gonzaga beat Tennessee, 86-79. The Bulldogs have won the last five Battle in Seattle games, and hold a 9-4 record in the event all-time. Previous Battle in Seattle Results:

Dec. 13, 2003 - #17 Gonzaga 87, #3 Missouri 80 (OT)
Dec. 4, 2004 - Gonzaga, 68, Massachusetts 57
Dec. 10, 2005 - #11 Gonzaga, 64, Oklahoma State 62
Dec. 30, 2006 - #18 Nevada 82, Gonzaga 74
Dec. 29, 2007 - #11 Tennessee 82, Gonzaga 72
Dec. 20, 2008 - #2 Connecticut 88, # 7 Gonzaga 83 (OT)
Dec. 12, 2009 - #21 Gonzaga 103, Davidson 91
Dec. 4, 2010 - #20 Illinois 73, Gonzaga 61
Dec. 17, 2011 - Gonzaga 71, Arizona 60
Dec. 15, 2012 - #14 Gonzaga 68, Kansas State 52
Dec. 14, 2013 - #20 Gonzaga 68, South Alabama 58
Dec. 20, 2014 - #8 Gonzaga 63, Cal Poly 50
Dec. 19, 2015 - #9 Gonzaga 86, Tennessee 79

History of the Arena

The arena opened in 1962 as the Washington State Pavilion for the Century 21 Exposition, the work of architect Paul Thiry. After the close of the Exposition, the Pavilion was purchased by the city of Seattle for $2.9 million and underwent an 18-month conversion into the Washington State Coliseum, one of the centerpieces of the new Seattle Center on the former Exposition grounds. When the newly renovated Coliseum opened, the Seattle University men's basketball team became the arena's first major tenant. In 1964, the facility was renamed the Seattle Center Coliseum.

NBA Finals at the Coliseum

The Coliseum in this incarnation hosted two NBA Finals, in 1978 and 1979, both between the Washington Bullets and SuperSonics. The Bullets won in 1978, prevailing in game 7 in Seattle. The Sonics retaliated the following year, winning in Game 5 on the Bullets' home court, thus capturing the franchise's only championship while based in Seattle.

KeyArena Renovation

The Coliseum was rebuilt between 1994 and 1995, bringing the arena up to the NBA standards of the day. The local Seattle office of NBBJ, the second largest architectural firm in the country, was chosen as the architects. In an unusual move, the Coliseum would be closed for a year during the renovation. On April 11, 1995, the city sold the naming rights to Cleveland-based KeyCorp, the parent of KeyBank, which renamed the Coliseum as KeyArena. The renovation cost the city of Seattle $74.5 million and the SuperSonics approximately $21 million. The remodeled arena maintained the architectural integrity of the original roofline by using the existing steel trusses in combination with four new main diagonal trusses. The wood, steel and concrete from the demolition was either reused in construction of the new arena or sold to recyclers. The original acoustical panels, the panels attached to the roof that keep the space from echoing, were refurbished and reused. The court was lowered 35 feet (11 m) below street level to allow for 3,000 more seats. The doors opened to the newly renovated arena on October 26, 1995.

Climate Pledge Arena: A Sustainable Venue

Climate Pledge Arena is not only a premier sports and entertainment venue but also a leader in sustainability. The arena is home to the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, WNBA’s Seattle Storm, and the world’s biggest performers of live music and events. The arena is named after The Climate Pledge, an initiative founded by Amazon and Global Optimism asking global corporations to become net zero carbon by 2040. Climate Pledge Arena has one of the most progressive sustainability programs of any building its size, including being the world’s first Zero Carbon Certified arena.

Read also: Student Ice Arena History

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