| Stadium Name: | Akins Ford Arena |
| Logo Image: | File:Akins_Ford_Arena.jpg |
| Former Names: | Classic Center Arena (2022 - 2024) |
| Address: | 300 N Thomas Street |
| Location: | Athens, Georgia, U.S. |
| Publictransit: | Athens Transit at Athens Multimodal Transportation Center |
| Owner: | Unified Government of Athens Clarke County |
| Operator: | Classic Center Authority |
| Capacity: | 8,500 (in the round concerts) 7,000 (end-stage concerts) 5,500 (hockey) |
| Broke Ground: | April 28, 2022 |
| Opened: | December 6, 2024 |
| Cost: | $146 million |
| Architect: | Perkins&Will and Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart |
| Project Manager: | Impact Construction Management |
| General Contractor: | J. E. Dunn Construction Group |
| Tenants: | UGA Ice Dawgs (2024–present) Athens Rock Lobsters (FPHL) (2024–present) |
Akins Ford Arena is an indoor arena under-construction in Athens, Georgia.[1] [2] It is part of the Classic Center complex and is intended as an upgrade to the Classic Center Grand Ballroom, which had been configured as a 2,000-seat arena. It will become the new home of the UGA Ice Dawgs of the College Hockey South conference and on March 28, 2024, it was announced it would be home to an FPHL expansion team,[3] later named the Athens Rock Lobsters. It has a capacity of 8,500. It is owned by the Unified Government of Athens Clarke County.
In January 2019, the Classic Center Authority announced their intent to construct the new Classic Center Arena adjacent to the existing site.[4] The arena will be connected to the existing Classic Center, the Multimodal Transportation Center and the downtown district via a new elevated walkway.
On August 20, 2024, it was announced that Akins Ford, of Winder, Georgia, had purchased the arena's naming rights for an undisclosed period and sum.[5]