The Izod Center — the state-owned arena that has been part of the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford for more than three decades and was once the home to the New Jersey Devils and Nets — is expected to close its doors at the end of the month.
Under an agreement to be announced Thursday, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority — which oversees the Meadowlands for Gov. Chris Christie's administration — has reached a deal with the Prudential Center that grants the arena in Newark official hosting rights to the Izod Center's events calendar, according to a source familiar with the agreement who asked not to be identified because the source was not authorized to publicly discuss it.
The two-year agreement calls for all future events currently scheduled for the Izod Center to be moved to the Prudential Center, effective Jan. 31. According to the Izod calendar, those include concerts by Chris Brown and Maroon 5, a Ringling Bros. circus, and a Disney event.
The source said as part of the agreement, the 34-year-old Izod Center — which has been struggling financially in the wake of growing competition — will remain dark for the two-year duration of the contract.
State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) said the Sports Authority's board — in which all 18 members are appointed by Christie — is scheduled to vote on the plan Thursday. Sarlo said he's unsure what will happen to the 18,000-seat arena after it's shuttered.
He criticized Christie's administration for closing the arena without taking bids from companies who could take over operation.
"It was done in a very haphazard manner," said Sarlo, whose district includes East Rutherford. "We realize (the state) can no longer run an entertainment center in the public domain. But a bidding process should have been put in place."
Spokesmen for Christie's office did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
The venue opened in 1981 as Brendan Byrne Arena, named after the former New Jersey governor. The first events were a series of six shows by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. It was renamed Continental Airlines Arena in 1996 and then the Izod Center in 2007.
But the Devils, Nets, and the Seton Hall University men's basketball team all stopped playing games there at the end of the last decade. The Devils and Seton Hall moved to the Prudential Center. The Nets moved to Brooklyn.
Over the last few years, the Izod Center has hosted only occasional concerts, events, and high school graduations.
Wayne Hasenbalg, the president and CEO of the Sports Authority, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
The Izod Center has faced increasing competition, with the $385 million Prudential Center opening in 2007, the Barclays Center opening in Brooklyn in 2012, and Madison Square Garden in Manhattan recently undergoing a renovation.
Essex County officials lobbied to close the Izod Center when the Prudential Center was being built. Christie's administration had been seeking to privatize or sell the arena in recent years.
