The Caitlin Clark effect has hit Atlanta.
The Dream announced Thursday that the WNBA team’s two home games against the Indiana Fever will be played at State Farm Arena.
The games will be played June 21 and Aug. 26 in the much bigger State Farm Arena. The Dream play home games in the 3,500 seat Gateway Center Arena.
“Atlanta Dream fans are the best in the WNBA,” Dream President and COO Morgan Shaw Parker said in a statement. “Their passion and excitement led us to the most sellouts in the league over the last two years and has created a demand for tickets that far outpaces the supply inside our current arena, which is why we wanted to find a way to give more fans access to experience these two games. We’re thrilled to work with State Farm Arena and the Atlanta Hawks to create a truly special environment.”
Clark, who led Iowa to back-to-back national championship appearances, has helped elevate national interest in women’s basketball. She was the No. 1 overall pick of Indiana in the WNBA draft and played her first professional game Tuesday.
The Dream and Fever have the past three No. 1 overall picks in the WNBA draft – the Dream’s Rhyne Howard and the Fever’s Aliyah Boston and Clark.
State Farm Arena, which seats more than 17,000 for basketball, will give the Dream an opportunity to play in front of a record-setting home crowd. The largest attendance for a Dream game occurred in 2008 as 11,609 fans filled Philips Arena for the team’s inaugural game against the Detroit Shock (now Dallas Wings).
All Dream season ticket holders will have their Fever tickets transferred to a comparable location within the lower level of State Farm Arena. Fans who purchased single game tickets to the Fever games will have their initial purchase refunded and given exclusive access to a presale window Tuesday to purchase seats in State Farm Arena. There also will be an exclusive window Tuesday for fans who registered for the Dream presale this spring.
Tickets for the general public will go on sale Wednesday. Fans can visit dream.wnba.com for more information.
“We are excited to welcome our loyal Dream fan base, along with new fans, to State Farm Arena,” Dream coach Tanisha Wright said in a statement. “We want to create the ultimate home court advantage and pack the house with red and blue as we work toward another playoff push this year.”
In April, the Dream became the second team in WNBA history to sell out its season ticket allotment and already has sold out 10 home games for the 2024 season to date.
The Dream opened the 2024 regular season with an 87-81 victory at the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday. Their road trip continues with a game at the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday. The home opener is Tuesday versus the Dallas Wings.
