Naming deal announced for Oceanside’s indoor sports arena

Frontwave Credit Union has purchased the naming rights for the indoor sports and entertainment complex under construction at Oceanside’s El Corazon Park, the next home of the San Diego Sockers professional soccer team.

The 10-year agreement, worth a total of $9 million, will begin with the Frontwave Arena’s expected opening in the late summer or fall of 2023, according to an announcement this week from the credit union and Oside Arena Management Group.

“We’re dreaming big with the creation of a state-of-the-art entertainment complex in Oceanside, and we’ve got a naming rights partner that dreams big as well,” Oside Arena Management President Sean Bowers said in a news release.

“We couldn’t be happier to partner with Frontwave Credit Union, an organization we have worked with closely in recent sessions with the San Diego Sockers,” Bowers said. “Together, we look to change the face of entertainment in San Diego’s North County.”

Located near the intersection of Oceanside Boulevard and Rancho Del Oro Drive, the 170,000-square-foot arena will host more than 6,000 fans for sporting events and as many as 7,600 people for concerts and other special events. The complex will include a full-service restaurant, bars, concessions, a plaza and 16 luxury suites.

“We see Frontwave Arena becoming a hub of activity for North County the likes of which we have never seen before,” Bowers said. “This region deserves a place for the community to come together and experience entertainment and sports. Our goal is to be that place for decades to come.”

The home team Sockers are back-to-back Major Arena Soccer League champions, 16-time pro indoor soccer champions. Discussions are underway for other possible sports tenants.

“As the official credit union of the Sockers, we’re thrilled to have secured the exclusive naming rights to their new Oceanside home,” Frontwave Credit Union President and CEO Bill Birnie said in the news release.

“Frontwave has been serving the Oceanside community for 70 years, and we’re proud to be a key partner in this exciting project that will benefit the entire North County region,” Birnie said. “The Frontwave Arena will not only serve as a community gathering space, but also as an important economic driver for the area.”

The city-owned El Corazon property covers 465 contiguous acres bounded by Rancho Del Oro Drive on the east, El Camino Real on the west, Mesa Drive on the north and Oceanside Boulevard on the south.

The eastern end of the property includes the El Corazon Senior Center, which opened in 2009, and the William A. Wagner Aquatics Center, a multiple-pool, competition-quality complex that opened Aug. 21, 2021. There’s also an array of 22 soccer fields called the SoCal Sports Complex used for regional weekend tournaments near the two city facilities.

Oside Arena Management Group is a partner with Sudberry Properties, the lead developer of the commercial areas within El Corazon property a former open-pit sand mine the city acquired in 1994.

Several residential and commercial projects, including two hotels, are on the drawing boards.