GSU Convocation Center - Georgia State Panthers

Photos by Lloyd Brown, Stadium Journey

Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43

GSU Convocation Center 455 Capitol Ave SE Atlanta, GA 30312

Georgia State Panthers website

GSU Convocation Center website

Year Opened: 2022

Capacity: 7,300

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Georgia State’s New Home for Pounce and Bounce

The GSU Convocation Center is the newest addition to Georgia State University’s downtown athletics campus. It opened in 2022, replacing the Georgia State Sports Arena, its home for over 50 years. The Sports Arena had only 3,500 seats, while the new Convocation Center can handle twice as many fans.

The Panthers belong to the Sun Belt Athletic Conference, which features several teams from the states adjoining Georgia. This means that the new facility will also better serve the needs of visiting fans who decide to make the short drive over to Atlanta for a game.

Food & Beverage 3

The concessions program at the new Convocation Center is a dramatic improvement over the lone concessions table at the Panthers former home.

There are four concession stands located around the main concourse at the Convocation Center. There are two Panther Grills and two Panther Pizza stands. While their concession offerings are somewhat limited, they do offer items at reasonable prices. The Panther Grill offers hamburgers with fries ($12), cheeseburgers with fries ($13), and hot dogs ($5). The Panther Pizza stand offers cheese pizza slices ($5) and pepperoni pizza slices ($6).

Both stands offer Coca-Cola brand sodas ($6), candy ($4), chips ($3), popcorn ($5), and bottled water ($5).

Alcohol is available at the arena at separate stands. The legal drinking age in Georgia is 21, and purchasers must show a legal ID. There is a two-drink limit per purchase. A 16-ounce beer is $8.00, and wine is $12.00.

Atmosphere 4

The atmosphere has improved dramatically at Georgia State basketball games since the move from the old Sports Arena. The old arena was located on the fourth floor of the P.E. building and had pull-out wooden bleachers. It had two basic scoreboards that were basically high school digital relics. There was a single folding table that served as the concessions area.

The new Convocation Center offers 7,300 GSU blue seatbacks. It features a state-of-the-art electronic package, including ribbon boards along the facing of the second level of seats and a pair of 18’X 32’ video screens to show replays, interviews, and other information during breaks in the action.

GSU Convocation Center, Photo by Lloyd Brown, Stadium Journey

Neighborhood 3

The GSU Convocation Center is in Georgia State University’s new Athletics campus. This property was formerly used by the Atlanta Braves as their parking area for Turner Field. Georgia State University has taken over the former Turner Field as its football stadium, rechristening it as Center Parc Stadium. A new Georgia State University baseball stadium is now under construction on the property, and it will open in time for the 2027 college baseball season.

The addition of the Convocation Center has been a major boost to the long -neglected Summerhill neighborhood located just south of the arena. The new building has provided much-needed jobs in the area and has created new interest from businesses to locate in the area.

Since the Convocation Center opened in 2022, Chillz Restaurant and Bar, Wood’s Chapel BBQ, Southern National, BOCA, Poach Social, and Halfway Crooks Beer have all opened restaurants in the area. A Publix grocery store has also opened in the area, which was formerly a “food desert”. Visiting fans can stay at either the Country Inn and Suites or the Comfort Inn Downtown South, which are both just a few blocks from the venue.

Fans 4

The new Convocation Center has greatly enhanced attendance at Panthers basketball games. The seating layout clearly defines the area for the band, and the student body (known as the “Blue Crew”) sits, and this allows the students, the cheer squads, and the GSU pep band to coordinate their efforts much more effectively than was possible in the program’s former home. The GSU mascot, Pounce the Panther, roams the arena, posing for selfies with students, alumni, and young children.

The new arena has also brought GSU alumni back to the campus. There was very little incentive to come back to what many alums regarded as their “old P.E. building”. The new facility has meeting rooms available for alumni functions at the games, which have been very popular with this important segment of the fanbase.

Access 4

The Convocation Center is easy to access, as it is located at the crossroads of I-75/I-85 (the Downtown Connector) and I-20.

Georgia State University students and faculty can take a free shuttle from the campus to the Convocation Center and return to the campus after the game at no cost.

The Convocation Center is four blocks from the Georgia State MARTA rapid rail station. Riders can reach the arena from the Atlanta suburbs via mass transit with just a short walk to the arena.

Bike racks are also available at the arena for students who wish to travel the short distance from the campus dorms to the games by bike.

There are three public entry gates at the Convocation Center. Gates 2-3 can be used by any fan. Gate 1 entry is restricted to fans with season tickets and courtside seats. Gates open 60 minutes before tipoff.

Parking is available in the Blue Lot at 76 Fulton Street, which is across the street from the arena.

Return on Investment 3

Ticket prices vary between basic games and premium games. The basic game prices are $15 for seats at midcourt seats and $10 for seats on the sides.

Fans who want to miss the heavy downtown traffic and the hassle of finding a parking space at the arena can take the MARTA rapid rail line to the games for a very economical cost of $2.50 each way per person. The Georgia State station is just a few blocks from the Convocation Center.

Extras 4

The Convocation Center has been used for a wide variety of audiences since it opened. It has hosted concerts, political rallies for both presidential candidates in the 2024 elections, graduation ceremonies for both Georgia State University and students from area high schools, and the inauguration ceremonies for both Atlanta’s mayor and Georgia’s governor.

The Olympic cauldron from the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games is located directly in front of the arena.

The basketball court at the Convocation Center is named for former GSU Coach and Naismith Hall of Fame member Charles “Lefty” Driesell.

GSU has always been an urban university in the heart of downtown Atlanta. The new Convocation Center enforces that link with a dramatic “Window on the City” at the north end of the building that features a one-of-a-kind view of the downtown Atlanta skyline.

Final Thoughts

The new GSU Convocation Center has broken the cycle of the university using “borrowed” or “used” facilities to house its athletics programs. The shiny new “GSU Blue” facility is something that Panther athletes, GSU students, alumni, and community members are very proud of.