Leeds’ First Direct Arena wins top award in global competition

THE First Direct Arena in Leeds has beaten off stiff global competition to win the prestigious New Venue of the Year title at the Stadium Business Awards in London.

By The Newsroom

Published 5th Jun 2014, 13:55 BST

The 13,000 seater venue, which opened last summer with performances from Bruce Springsteen and Sir Elton John, won the title at a high profile ceremony at the RAF museum in London last night. (Wednesday June 4)

It beat other nominees including the new Olympic Stadium in Sochi, the SSE Hydro in Glasgow and the Allianz Riviera stadium in Nice.

The award is assessed by a panel of industry experts worldwide including judges from Australia, the USA and Europe.

Tony Watson the arena’s director of sales, marketing and PR, said: “We’re delighted the hard work of our teams have been recognized with this prestigious award.

“The backing of our partners has been exceptional with special thanks to the team at First Direct and Yorkshire Post Newspapers for their support during our first year.”

See tomorrow’s YEP for full story