Nassau Coliseum Loses Naming Rights Sponsor

The ongoing saga surrounding the renovated Nassau Coliseum continued with a new wrinkle.

Naming rights sponsor New York Community Bank is exiting its long-term deal with the arena, Newsday reported. The building has been formally knowns as NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum since it reopened in 2017 after renovations were completed.

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Nick Mastroianni II, the new leaseholder for the Nassau Coliseum, allowed NYCB to exit the agreement early, bank officials told the newspaper. The main reason, according to the report, is the uncertainty surrounding the Nassau HUB site.

The future of the Coliseum, as well as the surrounding 77-acres, has come into question once again after Onexim Sports and Entertainment announced they were shutting down the venue in June while they looked for someone to take over the lease. A deal was reached last week between Nassau County and Mastroianni for the Florida-based businessman Mastroianni to take over the lease immediately.

When Onexim, which is owned by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, shuttered the venue in June it raised plenty of questions about where the New York Islanders would play their final season before UBS Arena opens at Belmont Park. Earlier this year, prior to COVID-19, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the Islanders would play all playoff games at Nassau Coliseum and the entire 2020-21 season would be played on Long Island.

Nassau County officials remain optimistic that the Islanders will play one more season at the Barn before relocating to UBS Arena for the 2021-22 season. It remains unclear, however, if fans will even be allowed inside arenas when the 2020-21 season starts this winter, whenever that is.

The Islanders called the Coliseum home from 1972 up until 2015. The team relocated to Barclays Center for the 2015-16 season, but began splitting time between the renovated Coliseum and Barclays Center during the 2018-19 NHL season.