Wembley Arena
| The SSE Arena, Wembley | |
|---|---|
| The SSE Arena | |
 Arena frontage | |
| Full name | The SSE Arena, Wembley |
| Location | Wembley, London, England |
| Opened | 1934 |
| Renovated | 2005–06 |
| Owner | Quintain |
| Operator | Anschutz Entertainment Group |
| Architect | Arthur Elvin |
| Former names | Empire Pool (1934–78) Wembley Arena (1978–2014) |
| Tenants | Former: Wembley Lions Wembley Monarchs |
| Capacity | 12,500 |
The SSE Arena, Wembley (originally the Empire Pool and subsequently Wembley Arena is an indoor arena located in Wembley, London.
It was built for the 1934 British Empire Games at Wembley, by Arthur Elvin, and originally housed a swimming pool, as reflected by its former name, Empire Pool. The pool itself was last used for the 1948 Summer Olympics. The building is used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport.
The venue was renovated, along with Wembley Stadium, as part of the early-21st-century regeneration of the Wembley Park area. The arena refurbishment cost £35m and the new arena opened to the public on 2 April 2006, with a concert by the English electronic-music band Depeche Mode.
The Wembley Lions and Wembley Monarchs were two ice hockey teams that used the venue regularly during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, while the London Lions used the venue for a season in the 1970s. Wembley also hosted the British Hockey League play-off finals weekend at the end of each season up until the league's disbandment in 1996. The arena also played host to NHL teams the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers for a pair of challenge matches in 1993.
It was one of the host facilities for the Ice Hockey World Championships in 1937 and 1950.
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