Stadium Journey Magazine recently ranked UNC Charlotte’s Halton Arena No. 22 out of 351 venues for collegiate teams in Division 1 basketball.
According to Stadium Journey Magazine, Halton Arena “makes for an interesting and unique atmosphere for home games and is a great addition to a school with a plethora of beautiful athletic facilities.”
The Dale F. Halton Arena is a 9,000-seat venue located inside the Barnhardt Student Activity Center. It is home to the Charlotte 49ers men's and women's basketball teams and women's volleyball.
The arena also hosts live concerts and music entertainment, student productions such as Greek Week's annual Step Show and Airband and community festivals like UNC Charlotte's annual International Festival.
“We are very encouraged that the ranking reflects what every Niner knows—the home of the Charlotte 49ers can hold its own against a lot of bigger schools with deeper pockets,” said Nina Simmons, director of the Department of Student Activity Center and Venue Management. “Although the student body is the heart of our fan base, we are also dedicated to being family friendly in both atmosphere and pricing.”
Reviews were based on several categories including food and beverage, overall atmosphere, neighboring community, fans, traffic, parking, restrooms, accessibility and return on investment.
Halton Arena earned an overall fan score of 4.3 out of 5, receiving five stars in the categories of "access" and "return on investment." The review noted Halton Arena’s “clean and plentiful” restrooms and praised how the combined value of average ticket prices, food and parking lets fans “see big-time basketball at small-town prices.”
Stadium Journey also recognized the arena’s historical tribute with hanging banners and retired jerseys as well as Norm the Niner’s crowd antics and T-shirt gun mastery.