A new sporting and concert venue is expected to open in Oceanside by next summer.
The seating, arena and steel structures of the Frontwave Arena are taking shape in Oceanside's El Corazon Park.
"We're right in the midst of finalizing our last year of construction. So we're about 70% complete...and looking to get through the next phase and open here in late summer," said Josh Elias, the co-founder and chief operating officer of the Frontwave Arena.
The name comes from the Frontwave Credit Union, formerly known as Pacific Marine Credit Union.
In 2022 Frontwave Credit Union signed a 10-year naming rights contract with the arena. But it’s not one of the arena’s owners.
"Frontwave Credit Union stepped in really early on this project... in 2022, before we were essentially out of the ground," Elias said. "So to have a interested party come in that early really showed the vision of what the credit union is looking to do in the community."
Three groups with North County roots are privately funding the project that is expected to cost more than $80 million.
"As long as we program the arena properly and bring shows and events that are meaningful, we feel like we're not only servicing North County... South Orange County, and South Riverside, but also all of San Diego County," Elias said.
The area around the arena is also home to an aquatic center, senior center, and is still undergoing new development.
"When you put a 170,000 square foot venue inside of an area, there's an impact to the community around it," Elias said. "So we've had to be thoughtful through the process."
Neighboring the new arena is also the SoCal Sports Complex, tournament soccer fields that get more than 1 million visitors each year.
Elias said there will be events on days the fields are holding games, and it will take joint partnerships to ensure traffic is controlled.
"We will learn a lot as we open, but we promise that we're going to put the effort in to make sure that it is the best experience as possible, and...make it good," he said.
Next year, the professional indoor soccer team San Diego Sockers will be calling the Frontwave Arena their new home after finishing this season at Pechanga Arena.
Elias said they hope to make exciting announcements about new tenants and shows in the next few months.
"I can't tell you the amount of outreach from not only food and beverage partners that want to be a part of it, locally and in Orange County... but entertainment and promotions," he said. "Everybody's excited to have something that's in between Los Angeles and San Diego because there's never been anything here, to this scale."
The indoor arena seats 7,500 people and can cut seating to accommodate smaller events. Its outdoor plaza will have food and beverage vendors available to the public year round, and an outdoor stage.
