Bankers Life Fieldhouse would make a suitable home for an AHL team until a true hockey complex can be built
But what would it do for Indy, and is it even possible? To answer those questions, we have to look at it from a couple of different angles. And use more than just a little imagination.
Let's start with the obvious. Indy is the most populous town in the state, is centrally located both geographically and hockey-wise, and has an extensive history with high-level sports. We are the HQ of the NCAA, the home of successful franchises in two of the four major professional sports (sorry, soccer... you're just not there yet), and we host the greatest spectacle in all of Auto Racing. We've shown we can handle it.
Last year, the average attendance in the American Hockey League was just shy of 5,900. The Fuel have averaged 3,770 over the past four years - pretty good for an ECHL franchise still looking to establish an identity and build a following. That number by itself would be better than two current AHL clubs, and one would expect to interest would be even greater to watch players who are on the cusp of the NHL.
The team would need a new home, though. The Indiana Farmers Coliseum is a nice facility, especially since its $53 million facelift. And it's a nice place to watch a game, as even the view from the cheap seats isn't bad. But nice won't cut it in the AHL. The league would higher expectations, and so would the fans.
Seating capacity at the IFC is roughly 6,800 - more than the league average, but not by much. Anyone who's been to a Fuel game recently knows how crowded the lobby and concourses get even when the place is only half-full. Access to the Coliseum is a nightmare - there's no great way to get there, and parking is awful once you do. The neighborhood is lacking the infrastructure you'd expect to accompany the professional sports experience - the bars, restaurants, shops, hotels, and public spaces.
All these ammenities enhance professional sports as much as they benefit from them. So much so that they've become essential to the sustained success of a franchise. Bankers Life Fieldhouse would be a better location, although we're not entirely convinced that it would be a long-term solution. While it will hold over 12,000 for hockey, the layout is such that fans are essentially restricted to one end of the rink. Going to a game would be enjoyable, but watching the game might be a bit less so. Plus, it may prove difficult to add a full slate of home games (and hopefully playoffs) to everything else that currently takes place at Bankers Life.
Construction of a new arena could spur economic growth in the region as well as energize the fan base. As they've yet to break ground on the Greenwood Iceplex - and no word as to when they might - why not go all-out? Build a full-size hockey arena, complete with an additional practice rink or two for public use and a training center. There's plenty of infrastructure already in place, with a substantial amount of available land on both the Greenwood and Indianapolis sides of County Line Road for additional development. I-65 and I-465 offer easy transit from all corners of Indy, and the County Line exit could be easily expanded to accommodate the additional traffic. (Sorry, northsiders - traffic already sucks up there. We certainly don't need to make it worse.) And an AHL team could draw fans from as far away as even Louisville and Cincinnati.