Sitting in Leicester, the Mattioli Arena is a multi-purpose sports arena with a seating capacity of 3,000. Built at a cost of £4.8 million and owned by the Leicester Riders Foundation, it opened in January 2016 and has since become a regular fixture in the city’s sporting calendar. The arena goes by its official sponsorship name following a naming agreement with the Ian and Clare Mattioli Charitable Trust, signed in February 2024.
Home of the Leicester Riders
The arena’s main tenant is the Leicester Riders, the city’s professional basketball club competing in the British Basketball League. The venue hosted its very first game on 30 January 2016, a BBL Trophy quarter-final in which the Riders defeated the Surrey Scorchers 77-60. The wheelchair basketball team, the Leicester Cobras, also uses the arena, as do students from Leicester College and members of the local community. Before settling on its current name, the venue was known as Morningside Arena from 2018 to 2024, after Morningside Pharmaceuticals took on a three-year naming rights agreement.
Major Events and Competitions
Beyond basketball, the arena regularly hosts darts and snooker competitions. It was the venue for the 2019 Champions League of Darts and the 2021 British Open in snooker, drawing national audiences to Leicester for both events.