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Coyotes hire consultant to ‘explore arena options in the Valley’

Coyotes Future Hockey

FILE - In this April 12, 2011, file photo, the Jobing.com Arena, home of the NHL hockey Phoenix Coyotes, sits empty before a Stanley Cup playoff game in Glendale, Ariz. The city of Glendale has called for a special meeting on Wednesday, June 10, 2015, to determine whether to end an arena lease agreement with the Coyotes, further clouding the team’s future in the desert.(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

AP

The Coyotes are probably going to leave Glendale soon. They said recently that “things are moving pretty quickly” in their search for a new home in the Phoenix are.

Today, the club announced that it’s hired Mitchell Ziets as an arena consultant.

“We are very pleased to have Mitchell on board with us,” said CEO Anthony LeBlanc. “Mitchell has a proven track record and we are looking forward to working with him as we explore our arena options in the Valley.”

From the press release:

Mitchell Ziets has represented buyers on over 50 acquisitions of sports properties, including successful acquisitions of, or investments in, the San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Supersonics, Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Steelers, among others. In addition, Mr. Ziets has a long history advising teams and public entities on new or renovated stadiums. His client roster includes some of the nation’s most well-known sports facilities including Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Petco Park, M&T Bank Stadium, Miller Park, Paul Brown Stadium, the Georgia Dome, Lincoln Financial Field, Citizen’s Bank Park, Great American Ballpark, Nationwide Arena, Quicken Loans Arena, Consol Energy Center, Staples Center, Bridgestone Arena, BB&T Center and Prudential Center.

With a background in corporate and municipal finance, Mitchell Ziets has structured and executed financing plans which include municipal, team and project debt.

The Coyotes have said repeatedly that their goal is to remain in the Phoenix area. Perhaps they end up back downtown as co-tenants with the NBA’s Suns. Maybe they move to Scottsdale. But wherever they go, a new arena will be needed, and that means money will have to be raised, either publicly or privately, or more likely a combination of the two sources.

Hence, Ziets and his lengthy resumé.

Of course, this won’t stop the speculation that the Coyotes will end up relocating to a completely different market, like, say, Seattle.

From SportsBusiness Journal:

Ziets

Related: Back downtown for Coyotes?