Dale F. Halton Arena at the James H. Barnhardt Student Activity Center (commonly shortened to Halton Arena) is an indoor sports venue located on the main campus of UNC Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is the home venue of the Charlotte 49ers men's and women's basketball teams and volleyball team. Halton Arena was named for the former President and CEO of Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Charlotte. She remains a benefactress to the university and has served on the University's Board of Trustees. The building was funded entirely through private donations and student fees.The arena is located inside the James H. Barnhardt Student Activity Center (known commonly by students as "The SAC"). Its seating capacity for basketball and volleyball is listed as 9,105, though most of the upper level is curtained off for women's basketball and volleyball games, reducing seating capacity to around 4,000. The University holds its commencement ceremonies every December and May inside the arena.HistoryThe arena opened on December 2, 1996 when the 49ers men's basketball team defeated Appalachian State in a non-conference game. It was the fourth primary home court for the 49ers since they joined the NCAA's Division I in 1970; previously the 49ers played at the on-campus Belk Gymnasium, or "The Mine Shaft" (1970–76), Bojangles' Coliseum (1976–88, 1993–96), and the Charlotte Coliseum (1988–93). Even after the men's basketball team began playing its home games off campus, the women's basketball and volleyball teams remained at Belk Gym.
