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Expansion Membership Approved for Indianapolis

November 26, 2013 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced on Tuesday that the Board of Governors has approved the Expansion Membership application of the Indianapolis Fuel for admission to the ECHL.

Indianapolis will begin play in October 2014 when the Premier "˜AA' Hockey League opens its 27th season, making it the third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League.

With the addition of Indianapolis, the ECHL will welcome 23 teams for the 2014-15 season.

Indianapolis will play its home games at the Fairgrounds Coliseum, a 6,145-seat building located on the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The Coliseum was originally constructed in 1939, and is currently in the midst of a major renovation which began on Oct. 29, 2012. The renovations include a two-level seating bowl, a new video scoreboard and a state-of-the-art sound system.

"We are proud to welcome Indianapolis as the newest Member of the ECHL," said ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna. "The city has a rich hockey tradition and is an ideal addition to our mid-west geography. I would like to thank the Indiana State Fairgrounds Commission and Jim Hallett and his team for their tireless efforts to make this a reality."

"We're proud to unveil Indianapolis' newest professional team - the Indy Fuel," said Fuel President and CEO Sean Hallett. "We look forward to giving Hoosiers great hockey and a new choice for family entertainment. Every winning tradition starts somewhere, and we're starting today."

"I grew up playing hockey on frozen ponds and never lost my love of the sport," said Fuel owner Jim Hallett. "I've also spent nearly 20 years here in the Midwest, and I've seen how sports bring a community to life - especially in Indianapolis. I want to feed the passion for hockey that's already here, introduce more Hoosiers to it and leave this team as a civic legacy to Central Indiana."

"This is the most important capital project in the history of the State Fairgrounds, renovating the Coliseum to be a premier venue for sports, entertainment and Fair festivities - hopefully for another 75 years or more," said Andre Lacy, chair of the Indiana State Fairgrounds Commission. "We're very proud to welcome the Indy Fuel as the Coliseum's anchor tenant."

For more information, including on how to purchase tickets, visit IndyFuelHockey.com . Fans can get a sneak preview of the Coliseum renovation at http://www.in.gov/statefair/fairgrounds/venues/coliseum.html .

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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