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Izod Center Upcoming Event Dates & Tickets
About this Venue
The Izod Center was originally known as the Brendan Byrne Arena and later was renamed Continental Airlines Arena after the airline, which had a hub at nearby Newark International Airport, purchased naming rights. In 2007 Phillips-Van Heusen, a clothing manufacturer, bought the naming rights after Continental Airlines elected not to retain them; PVH rebranded the venue with its Izod clothing label and the arena adopted its current name of Izod Center.
The arena was originally built to accommodate a move of the New York Nets basketball team to New Jersey and opened in 1981. In 1982, the Colorado Rockies hockey team joined the Nets in the new building and became known as the New Jersey Devils. The Nets and Devils were joined by Seton Hall University's men's basketball team in 1985.
In 2007, the Prudential Center opened in nearby Newark and the Devils, for whom the arena was built, moved out of what was still known as Continental Airlines Arena. Seton Hall, whose campus in South Orange is closer to Newark than East Rutherford, followed and moved their basketball games there. The Nets remained for three more seasons at what was now Izod Center before moving to Newark, where they played two seasons before departing New Jersey for Brooklyn and the Barclays Center.
The last team to call Izod Center home was the men's basketball team from Fordham University, who played most of their 2010-11 home schedule at the arena.
Since the departure of all three of its major tenants, Izod Center has served as more of a concert venue and general entertainment venue than a sporting venue. The state-owned facility reported losses for 2013.
