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LIVE LIKE A KING

Inside Golden 1 Center, the Sacramento Kings’ solar powered, state-of-the-art new home that has grabbed the attention of the sporting world

Sacramento Kings opened their new arena late last year and it's received rave reviews

THE NBA’s Sacramento Kings opened their brand new $600m (£485m) Golden 1 Center last year in the heart of the city.

SunSport’s Sunni Upal travelled to California to take a look at the new arena that’s received rave reviews in America.

A RECENT survey ranked Sacramento as the second most overlooked city in the United States.

The Golden 1 Center was opened late last year as the Sacramento Kings' new home
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The Golden 1 Center was opened late last year as the Sacramento Kings' new homeCredit: Sacramento Kings
The arena is located in the heart of downtown Sacramento
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The arena is located in the heart of downtown SacramentoCredit: Sacramento Kings

Visitors to California will often stop by Los Angeles, San Francisco or San Diego rather than head to the state capital.

Even sports fans in the West Coast state will talk about the Lakers, Clippers or Dodgers in Los Angeles, or the 49ers, Raiders or Warriors in San Francisco and Oakland.

Sacramento recently came close to losing their only major sports team with the National Basketball Association keen to move a franchise to Seattle.

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After prolonged negotiations, the Sacramento Kings agreed to build a new arena in the heart of the city and leave behind their soulless former Sleep Train Arena home out in the suburbs next to the airport.

Tech mogul and Indian-American businessman Vivek Ranadive left the Warriors to purchase the team and promise the new arena to keep the team in Sacramento.

The Golden 1 Center has received rave reviews from all visitors
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The Golden 1 Center has received rave reviews from all visitorsCredit: Sacramento Kings
The Golden 1 Center is an arena to make Sacramento proud
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The Golden 1 Center is an arena to make Sacramento proudCredit: Sacramento Kings
The arena is 100 per cent solar powered with 15 per cent of that energy coming from the roof of the building and the rest from a local solar farm
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The arena is 100 per cent solar powered with 15 per cent of that energy coming from the roof of the building and the rest from a local solar farmCredit: Sacramento Kings

GOLDEN 1 CENTER BY NUMBERS

600m - dollars the new arena cost to build

675,000 - square feet it occupies in downtown Sacramento

17,608 - capacity for basketball games

6,100 - square feet, size of the 4K video board hanging above the arena

1,400 - number of staff working on a game day at the arena

200 - gigabit per second internet connection

100 - per cent solar powered

90 - per cent of food sold is from within 150 miles

82 - hospitality boxes including 48 lofts and 34 suites

And a three-hour coronation gig from music legend Sir Paul McCartney at the Golden 1 Center marked the start of a new era for the city.

The new arena opened a year ahead of schedule and has received acclaim from all over the world.

American media have hailed the arena while sports teams, including some Premier League clubs, have paid a visit to Sacramento to see what makes it so special.

Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande are among the music stars set to grace the Golden 1 Center for concerts later this year.

Sir Paul McCartney performed the opening gig at Golden 1 Center in October
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Sir Paul McCartney performed the opening gig at Golden 1 Center in OctoberCredit: Getty Images - WireImage
The map of Sacramento shows their former Sleep Train Arena home well out in the suburbs to the north of the city
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The map of Sacramento shows their former Sleep Train Arena home well out in the suburbs to the north of the cityCredit: Google Maps

NBA commissioner Adam Silver attended the Kings’ first regular-season game at their new home against San Antonio Spurs in October.

He said: “To be done, to be here on opening night with the building completely finished with strong local ownership, it's everything a league could hope for.

“It’s set the new standard now for arenas, not just in this league, but around the world.”

The most impressive feature of all is being 100 per cent solar powered.

The roof of the building alone isn’t enough to power an NBA arena. That accounts for about 15 per cent of the energy used, but the other 85 per cent comes from a solar farm 30 minutes away.

And the sustainability of the arena doesn’t come at a cost in terms of fan experience or technology.

The arena has an intimate but open feel with fans able to see the whole arena and through the sliding doors at one of the building
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The arena has an intimate but open feel with fans able to see the whole arena and through the sliding doors at one of the buildingCredit: Sacramento Kings
The Golden 1 Center looks just as good at night as it does in the light of day
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The Golden 1 Center looks just as good at night as it does in the light of dayCredit: Sacramento Kings

The open feel lets fans see the entire arena from the concourse in one direction, and out of the glass exterior the other way.

At one end, the doors slide open to create the world’s first indoor-outdoor arena. For seven Sacramento Kings home games this year the doors have been open, taking advantage of the California climate.

At just 675,000 square feet the building is considerably smaller than other arenas and brings those in the stands closer to the court.

From the second you step into the building, there’s no concrete bowl or distant feeling, fans are instantly within view of the action in front of them.

In terms of technology, the free Wi-Fi in the arena can handle half a million Snapchats or 250,000 Instagram posts a second.

Hanging over the centre of the arena is the NBA’s first 4K ultra HD video board, and the Kings also broadcast in virtual reality.

The mission control room monitors everything from cameras to social media talk and traffic in the area
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The mission control room monitors everything from cameras to social media talk and traffic in the areaCredit: Sacramento Kings
There is $10m of local art on display around the arena
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There is $10m of local art on display around the arenaCredit: Sacramento Kings
A sculpture on display hanging in the concourse at Golden 1 Center
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A sculpture on display hanging in the concourse at Golden 1 CenterCredit: Sacramento Kings

A smartphone app allows fans to take control and customise every aspect of their experience, from booking and paying for parking to ordering food to their seat, and even seeing which queues are shorter.

There’s a local feel to the Golden 1 Center too. It doesn’t feel like a copy of New York’s Madison Square Garden or the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

There is $10m worth of art from the Sacramento area on display in the arena.

Around 90 per cent of the food sold at the arena is sourced from within 150 miles of Sacramento including wine from Napa Valley and local beer Sierra Nevada on display.

90 per cent of food sold at the Golden 1 Center is sourced from within 150 miles
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90 per cent of food sold at the Golden 1 Center is sourced from within 150 milesCredit: Sacramento Kings
There's plenty of hospitality available at the new arena too
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There's plenty of hospitality available at the new arena tooCredit: Sacramento Kings
The arena has 96 hospitality boxes - 48 lofts for 8-10 people and 34 suites to cater for groups up to 30
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The arena has 82 hospitality boxes - 48 lofts for 8-10 people and 34 suites to cater for groups up to 30Credit: Sacramento Kings

The NBA is really good about being proactive with us with new buildings to ask what the television issues are that we care to weigh in on. It's a really nice building. It shows the commitment of the area and that they want this to be a big deal.

ESPN NBA producer Tim Corrigan

The arena is part of a $1billion investment in the area with construction continuing on hotels, restaurants, shops, offices and accommodation.

Sacramento Kings president Chris Granger said: “The rallying cry for this project has to be to do something bigger than basketball and make Sacramento proud.

“We’re trying to do things that not only enhance the Kings but enhance the city.

“From the beginning of the project we committed to things like sourcing 90 per cent of our food from within 150 miles, making sure 70 per cent of all the hours worked on the construction of this project went to Sacramento area workers, 80 per cent of all the dollars spent went to Sacramento area contractors.

The NCAA March Madness tournament returned to Sacramento this year after 10 years away
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The NCAA March Madness tournament returned to Sacramento this year after 10 years awayCredit: Getty Images

“Obviously I’m biased, but the building reflects the values of it’s place very well from a sustainability standpoint, from an emerging technology standpoint, from an agricultural standpoint.

“You come here and know you’re in Sacramento and that’s not the case in many places in the NBA or across the world.

“We want to do things that reflect the way we live our lives here in Sacramento.”

Fans in the UK and Ireland can watch up to seven live NBA games per week, plus the NBA Playoffs, Conference Finals and NBA Finals on BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2 and ESPN on BT Sport. Fans can also watch more than 300 NCAA basketball games per season, including the iconic March Madness® Tournament and hundreds of other NCAA sporting events year-round, including season-long coverage of collegiate American Football.

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