Southern California's newest youth sports destination opened on Saturday. The Ontario Sports Empire, a 190-acre complex in Ontario, Calif., opened with a grand opening on Oct. 24 that was set to include a ribbon cutting, free youth clinics and open play, according to the complex's official site.
The city of Ontario paid for the $850 million project and owns it. Sports Facilities Companies, a national operator of municipal sports complexes, manages it, according to the California Post via Yahoo Sports and the youth sports business newsletter Buying Sandlot.
What Is at the Ontario Sports Empire
The site has more than 40 fields: 20 multipurpose rectangular fields, 14 youth baseball and softball diamonds, eight full-size diamonds, four football and rugby fields and two championship baseball diamonds. There is a six-level, 1,300-space parking structure and a 152-by-51-foot video board, per the California Post report.
It sits next to the 6,500-seat home of the Ontario Tower Buzzers, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Single-A affiliate. Buying Sandlot reports the stadium is run separately by Legends Global and that its $150 million cost is part of the $850 million total. Ontario International Airport is about 10 minutes away, with more than 6,000 hotel rooms in the area.
Perfect Game and AYSO Are First In
Buying Sandlot reports that Perfect Game is hosting the complex's first baseball games this weekend and AYSO is holding soccer games, with USSSA and Triple Crown scheduled for future events. The newsletter projects 1.2 million to 1.5 million visitors a year. SFC chief executive Jason Clement told the newsletter the facility "is going to transform that region of the country," and said it is booked for the next few years.
The bigger trend is youth fields built next to pro venues, sharing parking, food, sponsors and the big-league feel that travel families pay for. For families in the Inland Empire, the practical change is closer: a weekend tournament site of this size that does not require a flight to Arizona or Florida. Find more youth events on our events hub.
