Photos by Aaron S. Terry, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.29
Dollar Loan Center 200 S Green Valley Pkwy Henderson, NV 89012
Year Opened: 2022
Capacity: 5,567
Sin City Indoors
The Vegas Knight Hawks started playing indoor football at Dollar Loan Center in 2022; the team is owned by Bill Foley, owner of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights (hence the team name). The Knight Hawks currently compete in the Indoor Football League (IFL), which was founded in 2008.
The atmosphere inside Dollar Loan Center certainly feels like fabulous Las Vegas – spotlights and strobe lights in different colors are constantly flashing and roving the stands, there is tons of loud, boisterous music, and the crowd, despite the arena not being very full, adds significantly to the noise level.
Food & Beverage 4
There are plenty of food options inside Dollar Loan Center, including a full-size restaurant and bar called Craggy Range. There are also several smaller bar areas and several Marketplace concession stands, each with different food options, but all including a wall of refrigerated drinks of all types, including lots of beer and soda choices.
Rosati’s Marketplace, for example, offers up an Italian theme with beef sandwiches, calzones, pizza, and even cannolis, while other Marketplace stands offer Shack Bites chicken, pulled pork, mac ‘n cheese, loaded baked potatoes, burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, and even eggplant burgers. Each Marketplace stands also offers up a sweet treat of some kind - Rosati’s has cannolis, while other stands offer beignets or funnel cake, and you can also get cotton candy or packaged candy.
Note that the food at all these Marketplace stands is served as grab-and-go using hot plates, so I was a little skeptical that it might be stale, but they seem to replenish constantly, and the food was quite fresh, hot, and good (I recommend the Italian beef or the Shack Bites). The only drawback is that all the concession prices at Dollar Loan Center are on the high side (think $15 for a main dish), as you might expect from a pro sports arena nowadays.
Atmosphere 5
As mentioned, the atmosphere here is electric – the stands aren’t full by any means, but the fans are loud; based on the noise level alone you wouldn’t be able to tell the arena is half full. There is also a great dance team, a great mascot, and a great P. A. announcer constantly asking the fans to “Caw Caw”. I already mentioned the spotlights and strobe lights, and when the team comes onto the field additional pyrotechnics and smoke are accompanying them through the tunnel.
The arena itself is also amazing – not surprising given its location; besides all the bar areas and standing rails (places to eat your food or drink your beer so you don’t have to bump elbows trying to eat in your seat), there are TVs throughout the concourse, so you don’t have to miss any of the action while going to get something to eat. All the seats have chairbacks, and the scoreboard above the field is massive, making it easy to see replays, and there are even “Knight” elements like castle towers sporting Knight Hawks flags on the upper level.
Neighborhood 5
What can I say about Las Vegas, other than it is fabulous? Dollar Loan Center is in Henderson, so is about 15-20 minutes (maybe half an hour with traffic) from all the glitz on the strip, but still close enough if you want to make a weekend of it – and why would you not?
Henderson is better positioned, however, for one of the other major attractions in Nevada, that is Hoover Dam (probably 10-15 minutes on the east side of Henderson, on the NV-AZ border). Hoover Dam offers half-hour or hour-long tours where you can go inside the dam, and there are also multiple overlooks if you want to view it or take photos.
Fans 3
I struggled with this rating a bit – Dollar Loan Center is not even half full during Vegas Knight Hawks games, but the fans are so loud it would be hard to tell that if your eyes were closed. The fans who are there are engaged and seem to be enjoying themselves.
Part of the reason for the low turnout is likely the subpar 6-10 record the Knight Hawks earned last season, so I expect with more success on the field, you will see the turnout climb much higher.
Access 4
There is a little bit of traffic getting to Dollar Loan Center, due to the fact the arena is right across the street from a shopping center, and there aren’t any roads that connect them, causing congestion. In addition, there are several stoplights nearby you have to navigate through, which are not timed well, making it hard to get all the way across in one go.
Note that you should be careful with your GPS – the individual payday loan facilities (managed by the venue’s sponsor and namesake) all around town are also called Dollar Loan Center, so make sure you are looking at the arena itself, on Green Valley Parkway.
Parking on-site costs $15, which is reasonable, and you can park very close to the building even if you arrive at the last minute. Then, once you physically enter Dollar Loan Center, access becomes as easy as pie–wide concourses, plenty of room to move around, short lines to get into the building and at the concessions (due to the grab-and-go set up), plenty of bathrooms, and the ability to pretty much sit wherever you want.
The best place to sit, of course, for arena football is in the first or second row behind the end zone, so you can catch a football if it leaves the field of play (in arena football fans are usually allowed to keep these loose balls).
Return on Investment 5
Tickets to Knight Hawks football start at around $35 including ticketing fees, which is a great deal for pro sports, and the parking cost is reasonable. The only potential downside is the high cost of concessions, but the amazing atmosphere easily makes up for it.
Extras 4
There isn’t much in the way of a halftime show, but the dance team and other staff are constantly tossing things to the crowd, including t-shirts and mini footballs (and even cold hard cash during one specific promotion). You can also get autographs from the players and dance team following the game, and there are tons of tables set up in the concourse where fans can get freebies of all sorts, including hand sanitizer, candy, pens, mini footballs, and the like. There is also a full-size team store inside Dollar Loan Center, as well as a couple of smaller team gear, stands.
Final Thoughts
Visiting Dollar Loan Center for a Vegas Knight Hawks game is worth it – the atmosphere inside the arena is superb, there are food options to meet any need, and getting around the arena is not a chore – you are guaranteed to have a blast, not to mention you are in Vegas, baby! This is the perfect opportunity for that Vegas getaway you’ve been wanting, and if you have never seen indoor football before, this is the perfect way to start.
Kommentare