Akins Ford Arena
| Former names | Classic Center Arena (2022–2024) |
|---|---|
| Address | 300 N Thomas Street |
| Location | Athens, Georgia, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 33°57′40.1″N 83°22′14.9″W / 33.961139°N 83.370806°W |
| Public transit | Athens Transit at Athens Multimodal Transportation Center |
| Owner | Unified Government of Athens Clarke County |
| Operator | Classic Center Authority |
| Capacity | 8,500 (in the round concerts) 7,000 (end-stage concerts) 5,500 (hockey) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 28, 2022 |
| Opened | December 13, 2024 |
| Construction cost | $146 million |
| Architect | Perkins&Will and Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart |
| Project manager | Impact Construction Management |
| General contractor | J. E. Dunn Construction Group |
| Tenants | |
| UGA Ice Dawgs (2024–present) Athens Rock Lobsters (FPHL) (2024–present) | |
| Website | |
| Venue Website | |
Akins Ford Arena is an indoor arena in Athens, Georgia. It is part of The Classic Center campus and is intended as an upgrade to the Classic Center Grand Ballroom, which had been configured as a 2,000-seat arena. It will become the new home of the UGA Ice Dawgs of the College Hockey South conference and on March 28, 2024, it was announced it would be home to an FPHL expansion team, later named the Athens Rock Lobsters. It has a capacity of 8,500. It is owned by the Unified Government of Athens Clarke County.