Should the City of Kent have an arena football team at the Kent Events Center? At this time, it has been exciting for the City of Kent.
Kent is building a 6,025-seat events center just a few blocks from Kent Station, Sound Transit and Kent Commons. The Kent Events Center will be the host for the Seattle Thunderbirds and 110 other annual events. Some of these other events will include concerts, car and truck shows, high school graduations, and many more. The events center has been ideally placed right next to a large highway and train stop, which provided easy transportation. As stated on the City of Kent Web site, “the Kent Events Center will provide an abundance of family-focused opportunities for recreation and enjoyment, as well as a sound economic investment for the city.” Therefore, I think that an Arena football team would only add to the enjoyment of our community, and to our economic growth.
There are 19 arena football teams in the AFL. I think that we need to increase that number to 20. An arena football team would be ideal for our new Kent Events Center. Arena football is usually held in arenas that are meant for basketball and hockey, so it would be a perfect match. The field is the same width – 85 feet, and length, 200 feet – as a standard NHL hockey rink. The edges of the field can even be curved like a hockey rink. This addition to the Kent Events Center’s list of events would increase our enjoyment in the city dramatically.
Since the Seattle Supersonics are going to leave Seattle for Oklahoma City, we should add more public entertainment to our city. With a new team, citizens of Kent will enjoy being part of the new arena football team. In addition, it would be an economic benefit for the entire region. Between hockey and football games, more fans will pay for tickets, dining and transportation. As well as the city, mass transit will increase because of the accessibility to the train stop near the stadium.
In the end, if we have an arena football team at our Kent Events Center, our city will be enhanced.
In Baltimore, the “Market and Financial Analysis For a Proposed New Arena in Downtown Baltimore” study took place on what sports team a new facility would attract to the city. The test showed that a new facility would attract arena football teams and hockey teams. Therefore, our facility is an ideal fit for the arena football team and hockey. Now we need to try to make a deal with the AFL and make a new team. Along with the ideal fit and size of Arena football to hockey, the seasons are opposing. Therefore, Kent will receive economic boom during both seasons.
That’s why we should have Arena football at the Kent Events Center.
Kyle Hadley
Mattson Middle School student
Kent
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