Premier America Credit Union Arena, formerly Matador Gymnasium, and formerly known by its nickname the Matadome, is a 2,500 seat, indoor multi-purpose stadium on the campus of California State University, Northridge in Northridge, California. The Matadome was renovated in 2014.
- Venue
- Premier America Credit Union Arena
- Town
- California, US
- Capacity
- 1,600
Premier America Credit Union Arena, formerly Matador Gymnasium, and formerly known by its nickname the Matadome, is a 2,500 seat, indoor multi-purpose stadium on the campus of California State University, Northridge in Northridge, California. The Matadome was renovated in 2014. With the renovation, the arena now has a capacity of 2,500. The Matadome, unlike many other traditional stadia, is located within Redwood Hall, which hosts many kinesiology classes for Cal State Northridge. Contrary to the name, Redwood Hall, and by default the Matadome, is not a dome at all - the roof is flat. The Matadome was completed in 1962 and was officially opened on 30 November of the same year. It got its name in the early 1980s, when Lisa Nehus Saxon, a reporter for the Los Angeles Daily News, playfully used the term in a game story. The capacity of the Matadome has changed throughout the years. Before the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the Matadome had a capacity of over 3,000. The record attendance was 3,106 for a United States men's national volleyball team exhibition against Japan men's national volleyball team set on 2 November 1990, which was prior to the earthquake. After the earthquake, the upper section seats were removed to create more classroom space for Redwood Hall, and walls were put up to separate the Matadome from these new classrooms. Other renovations include the installation of a completely new floor in 1996 (with a redesigning in 2001), a drop-down scoreboard above half court in 1997, and chair-backed bleacher seats in 1998. In 2014, the Matadome was renovated and seating capacity was increased to 2,400-seats. The seats were previously lost due to the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Despite all of these recent additions and renovations, the Matadome is still seen as a sub-standard arena. Players and coaches alike have spoken out about the gym, citing: I don’t know how the Matadome got its name, but it sounds like a joke. And (then) someone thought it was serious and eve