Main Arena

Contact Information

For information on renting the center, please contact Jeremy Cynkar at cynkar@ufl.edu. For touring shows, please contact Lynda Reinhart at lyndar@ufl.edu.

Information About the Main Arena

  • The roof supports a theatrical grid system. Please contact us for more details regarding the weight capacity.
  • Three levels of seating surround the main arena floor which is 14.5 feet below ground level to take advantage of the constant temperature of the earth.
  • The O’Connell Center’s flexibility is enhanced by the many pieces of equipment, which can be moved and retracted. The basketball goals, the stage, and the drop-in basketball and volleyball floors are examples of this unique flexibility, in addition to the retractable bleacher seating,the basketball goals, the stage, and the drop-in basketball and volleyball floors are examples of this unique flexibility.

Seating Capacities

With all of the seating in use, the O’Connell Center main arena can accommodate almost 10,500 spectators. In addition, we also can seat people in folding chairs on the main arena floor during concerts or banquets.

Event Capacities

Concerts

Full House: 7,000
In the Round: 10,500

Speaking Engagements

Half House (standard set): 2,500-3,500
Full House: 6,000-7,000

Athletics

Men’s Basketball: 10,136
Women’s Basketball: 10,136
Volleyball: 10,136
Gymnastics: 9,251

Banquets

Up to 1,200

Trade Shows

Service Level: 110  (8 ft X 10 ft booths)
Concourse Level (non-Arena): 140 (8 ft X 10 ft booths)
Total Exhibition Booths: 250
Total Exhibition Space:
Service Level: 20,000 sq. ft.
Concourse Level (non-Arena): 25,000 sq. ft.
TOTAL– 45,000 sq. ft.

Entire Building: 315,000 sq. ft.

Dimensions

Level 1 (bleachers in) — 172 feet x 118 feet
Level 1 (bleachers out) — 130 feet x 74 feet

Heights

Floor to grid: 78 feet
Floor to roof: 118 feet
Floor to Level 2: 12 feet

Multipurpose Rooms 

Practice Court

  • The practice court is located on Level 2 between Gates 3 & 4.
  • The main users of the court are the men’s and women’s basketball team, the women’s volleyball team, and the Dazzlers dance team. It is also rented out for smaller banquets and functions.
  • Netting, to prevent the equipment from damaging the plants in the gardens, and privacy curtains have been installed.

Gymnastics Studio

  • The gymnastics studio is located on Level 2 between Gates 1 & 4.
  • The studio is used by the Gator Gymnastics team.

Dance Studio

  • The Dance Studio is located on Level 2 just inside the main lobby.li>
  • The Studio is used by classes and by Floridance, the UF dance company.
  • It features a wooden floor covered with special non-skid Marlee mats, a complete wall of mirrors and bars, and privacy curtains.

Orange and Blue Room

  • The Orange and Blue Room is located adjacent to the Loading Dock at Gate 4, service level.
  • Classes and clubs use this room daily for not only the various martial arts, but also for fencing, aerobics, dance, and yoga. In addition, it is used for banquets, press conferences, and backstage parties.
  • The room is approximately 4,177 square feet, and the floor is made of a synthetic rubber compound called Chem-Turf.

Pool

Our 50-meter Olympic-sized pool is one of the fastest in the world. The 648,000-gallon pool can be used as two 25-yard courses with a warm-up area in the middle, two 25-meter courses without a warm-up area, or a full 50-meter course, all by moving the two sliding bulkheads to the desired position.

The pool bottom slopes rapidly from five to eighteen feet, which greatly reduces the rebound of waves from the bottom. The extensive gutter system is designed to absorb any water that slaps against the pool’s sides so that there are no waves from which to rebound.

The retractable bleachers can seat 1,005 for swim meets.

There are men’s and women’s locker rooms located just off the pool deck. They can also be accessed from the hallway on level one.

The pool has two one-meter and two three-meter diving boards. There are also two diving platforms; one is five meters and the other is ten. For the use of photographers and judges during diving competitions, there is an underwater viewing room.

Dressing Rooms

RoomSizeCapacityMirrorsNumber of ToiletsNumber of ShowersPhone HookupsAdditional Notes
Performers’ Dressing
Room # 1340		Small4Yes11Yes 
Performers’ Dressing
Room # 1360		Small4Yes11Yes 
Performers’ Dressing
Room # 1350		Large10Yes11Yes 
Performers’ Dressing
Room # 1355		Large10Yes11Yes 
Women’s General
Locker Room		Large42Yes48Yes 
Visiting Team Locker 1Large16Yes31No 
Men’s General
Locker Room		Large27Yes3 Stalls
3 Urinals		8No 
Visiting Team Locker 2Small6Yes11No 
Visiting Team Locker
Room # 1125		Medium13Yes24No 
Orange and Blue RoomVery Large324Yes00YesCan be divided with on-site
portable partition
Practice CourtVery Large434No00NoLocated on Level 2;
Available on a limited basis
Center Court ClubLarge150YesF – 8
M – 2 stalls, 5 urinals		0NoLocated on Level 2;
Available on a limited basis
Courtside ClubLarge50YesF – 3
M – 1 stall, 1 urinal		0NoLocated on Level 2;
Available on a limited basis
Dance StudioVery Large147Yes00NoLocated on Level 2;
Available on a limited basis
Florida RoomLarge100Yes00NoLocated on Level 2;
Available on a limited basis

Note: There are other areas in the building and on site that may be utilized for various purposes.
The decision to use these spaces will be made on a per event basis.

Rate Card


View the 2022-2023 Rate Card in Adobe Acrobat format »
Acrobat is available here for free if you do not currently have it installed.

Our rate card is intended to give clients an idea of the costs associated with an event. It is subject to change, additional rules may apply, and each event will have specific requirements for staffing levels and equipment usage. Please contact our staff for an actual cost estimate.

Contact Information

For information on renting the center, please contact Jeremy Cynkar at cynkar@ufl.edu.

Tech Pack

Due to heightened security levels, detailed venue information has been removed from our website.

If you require copies of these detailed venue information for legitimate purposes please email our Assistant Director of Production, Tony Clements, at tonyclements@ufl.edu.

In the text of the message, please note the reason for your request.