Mercury to play home games at renovated Phoenix Suns Arena in 2021

The Phoenix Mercury are set to return to the only home they’ve ever known a year sooner than planned in 2021.

The three-time WNBA champions will play their home games at Phoenix Suns Arena, after originally planning on playing at Phoenix’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum during the duration of renovations at the downtown arena.

The Mercury announced the move in a press release on Tuesday, saying the expedited renovation schedule allowed the team to play in the arena a year sooner than they originally expected.

The team, which has played each of its 25 seasons (save the 2020 bubble season in Bradenton, Fla.) at the facility, has yet to make a decision about whether fans will be allowed to attend home games in 2021.

Mercury chief operating officer Vince Kozar said the decision to play downtown gives fans a chance to watch the team play in the best venue possible.

Kozar believes that the arena, which is in the midst of a $230 million renovation, can be a game-changer for the franchise.

“We have all learned to live with a great deal of uncertainty over the last 11 months,” Kozar said in the release. “But we do know for certain that the next time the Mercury plays games in Phoenix it will be at our home arena in downtown Phoenix, and we wanted our fans to know that.

“At the right time, under the safest conditions, having the X-Factor in a state-of the-art, fan-first arena will be an incredibly special – and loud – experience.”

Whenever fans are permitted into the facility for Mercury games, they’ll find 7,000 square feet of LED ribbon boards, to go with brand new cushioned seats throughout the arena and the largest sports bar in Arizona.

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