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| Address | Claypit Lane Arena Quarter Leeds LS2 England |
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| Coordinates | 53°48′11″N 1°32′32″W / 53.80306°N 1.54222°W |
| Owner | Leeds City Council |
| Operator | ASM Global |
| Capacity | 13,781[1][2] |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | February 2011 |
| Built | February 2011 – May 2013 |
| Opened | 24 July 2013 (first concert) 4 September 2013 |
| Construction cost | £60 million |
| Architect | Populous |
| Project manager | Davis Langdon, An AECOM Company |
| Main contractors | BAM Construct UK Ltd |
| Website | |
| firstdirectarena | |
The Leeds Arena (currently known as the First Direct Arena for sponsorship reasons) is an entertainment-focused indoor arena located in the Arena Quarter of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is the first in the United Kingdom to have a fan-shaped orientation.
The arena officially opened on 4 September 2013, with Sir Elton John,[3] playing to an audience of 12,000. Bruce Springsteen had, however, held the first concert on 24 July 2013, with an audience of 13,000. The arena's opening season in 2013 later included acts including Kaiser Chiefs, Rod Stewart, Status Quo and Depeche Mode.[4]
The building was named the "best new venue in the world" in 2014 by the Stadium Business Awards.[5]
- ^ "first direct arena confirms increase to capacity - first direct arena". www.firstdirectarena.com. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
- ^ "Leeds First Direct Arena becomes biggest in Yorkshire". IQ Magazine. 15 February 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
- ^ "Welcome to the YEP website for the latest news and sport". The Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ "first direct arena". Retrieved 17 May 2013.
- ^ "Leeds Arena named best new venue in world". ITV. 5 June 2014. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2022.