The University of Connecticut’s one-year lease with the XL Center in Hartford is set to expire after this winter sports season.
The Huskies pay a per-game rent of $40,500 for men’s and women’s basketball and $20,500 for men’s hockey at the aging facility.
The school does play most of its games on campus at the Gampel Pavilion.
The Hartford-based Capital Region Development Authority, which oversees the operational costs for the venue, collects a $3 surcharge per basketball ticket and a $2 surcharge per ticket for hockey tickets.
The question of another agreement comes as UConn’s athletic program saw its budget deficit rise to $47.2 million for the 2021 fiscal year.
In a statement, Michael Freimuth, who heads the development authority, said he expects UConn’s relationship with the XL Center to continue.
“With 80,000 UConn alumni within 30 minutes of downtown Hartford, with three campuses in Hartford as well as the nearby Uconn Health complex, we see [XL Center] as beneficial to not just the downtown area, but the school as well,” said Freimuth.
The basketball teams have played a little over a handful of games at the venue since 1976.
