Emirates secures naming rights for Glasgow’s Commonwealth Arena

Emirates has signed a ten-year agreement with Glasgow City Council to sponsor the city’s new 6,500-seater indoor arena which will form a key part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The £113 million Emirates Arena will open on October 5, and will host Scottish, European and world level sporting events ahead of the Commonwealth Games in the summer of 2014. The arena will host badminton events during the Games, and will have a capacity for 6,500 spectators when set up for sporting events, while the adjacent velodrome has permanent seating for 2,500 spectators. The facility will also create a legacy for the city, becoming Scotland’s national training centre for athletics, basketball, netball, track cycling and volleyball. It’s the latest in a series of high profile sponsorship agreements by Emirates in the UK, including Arsenal Football Club’s Emirates Stadium in London, its A380 model situated on the roundabout approaching Heathrow 1,2 and 3 (see online news July 24, 2008), and the recently launched Emirates Air Line cable car service over the Thames (see online news June 19). Emirates currently flies twice-daily between Glasgow and Dubai – for more information visit emirates.com, emiratesarena.co.uk. Report by Mark Caswell