kraft sports group owns the national sports center in blaine.
who owns the national sports center in blaine?
kraft sports group
the national sports center (nsc) is a 600-acre multi-sport complex located in blaine, minnesota. it includes a soccer stadium, over 50 full-sized soccer fields, a golf course, a velodrome, a meeting and convention facility, and an eight-sheet ice rink, the schwan super rink, which is the largest ice arena in the world. the national sports center has hosted numerous national and world championship events in soccer, hockey, figure skating, short track speedskating, broomball, rugby, ultimate and lacrosse. the national sports center opened in 1990 after 1987 legislature created the minnesota amateur sports commission (masc) and appropriated $14.7 million for the construction of the nsc. the facility welcomes over 3.8 million visitors annually, making it the most-visited sports facility in the state of minnesota.
national sports center
the thunder's first home field was the national sports center in blaine, minnesota where they played until 2003. in 2003 the thunder wanted to reduce the number of home games played at the national sports center to seven. the minnesota amateur sports commission which owns the national sports center was not comfortable with the idea so the thunder decided to look elsewhere. their three-year lease expired in 2003 leaving them open to search for other facilities for 2004. at the time revenue from the thunder accounted for less than one percent of the national sports center's total revenue. barclay kruse, the associate director of the minnesota amateur sports commission described the situation as, "the best way to describe it is that we're disappointed."
minnesota thunder