Anaheim Arena Will Double as Part-Time Pond

Under a compromise reached Monday, the city’s new $121-million indoor sports facility will be called the Pond during hockey season and the Anaheim Arena for all other events, at least until a corporate sponsor is found.

“It’s the best way to handle the situation,” said John James Nicoletti, a spokesman for Ogden Corp., the arena manager. “When there is a corporate sponsor, we’ll look at renaming the arena.”

For months, Disney, the city and Ogden have been unable to agree upon a single name for the new arena. Disney has been calling it the Pond at Anaheim, while the city and Ogden, fearing that name would scare off sponsors, have insisted on the name Anaheim Arena.

A sponsorship could potentially be worth millions of dollars in revenue. Great Western Bank, for example, reportedly pays about $1 million a year to have the Forum in Inglewood called the Great Western Forum.

The controversy about the arena name erupted in March when Michael D. Eisner, chairman of the Walt Disney Co., unexpectedly announced that Disney’s Mighty Ducks expansion team would be playing hockey in the Anaheim Arena, which he was renaming the Pond.

Under an agreement signed by Disney, the city and Ogden, Disney has the right to name the facility, but Ogden must agree to it.

Anaheim City Manager James D. Ruth said Monday’s compromise will allow Ogden to officially name the arena if Disney doesn’t find a corporate sponsor by Dec. 31. The search for a sponsor has only just begun.

“We really haven’t gone after a corporate sponsor yet,” said Eisner, who held a press conference Monday to unveil the new Mighty Ducks team logo.

He added that “once we secure a Kodak or a Coca-Cola or whoever, at that time, assuming the sponsor likes (the name the Pond), we’ll go back to the city of Anaheim and hopefully agree on the Pond.”

In the meantime, Ruth said, the city has no problem with having two names for the arena.

“That’s fine,” he said. “We would just like to get this thing put behind us.”

Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly, who has been involved in the discussions, said his major concerns are that a sponsor be secured and that Anaheim be part of any name chosen, a requirement that is part of current agreements.

As for the Pond, Daly said he has heard “growing support for that name” throughout the community.

“I think people are getting used to it,” he said.