Arizona Athletic Grounds, located in Mesa, Arizona, is the largest youth-oriented sports and entertainment facility in North America. The 240-acre complex hosted over 80,000 throughout Presidents’ Day weekend contributing to the more than two million visitors expected in 2025 and generates $17-27 million in economic impact annually.
Indoors, the world-class facilities include nearly 475,000 square feet of fieldhouse space to accommodate 50 indoor volleyball courts, 16 basketball courts and six futsal courts along with a food court, state-of-the-art sports performance center, cheer gym, dance studio, gymnastics center with ninja course and several multi-functional meeting spaces.
Outdoors, the Grounds offers 41 pickleball courts including a shaded Championship Court with seating for 1,800, 24 multi-purpose fields comprised of 20 turf and four natural grass highlighted by a championship field with seating for 2,200, 12 beach volleyball courts, eight baseball and softball diamonds, a shaded entertainment district with multiple dining options and a 2.7-acre yard for music and events.
The Grounds also offers full-service catering and more than 200 digital displays, making it an ideal location for non-sporting events for groups of 20 to 3,000 guests. Past and future corporate events have included annual meetings, conferences, trade shows, markets, exhibitions and more.
Under the leadership of President Meg Stevens, the Grounds has undergone a culture shift resulting in significant transformation. Leaning into her extensive coaching and leadership background to build a cohesive team, the staff has comprehensively achieved more than 300 milestones in less than a year ranging from behind the scenes shifts to improve the day-to-day operations to customer-facing changes to build a world-class experience.
The Grounds most significant achievements came from the ambitious list of priorities Stevens outlined upon arrival and serve as differentiators from similar facilities. A few of the highlights include adding a sports performance program, teaming up with Kerri Walsh Jennings’ p1440 to activate the beach volleyball courts, offering live streaming capabilities through NBC Next’s SportsEngine Play, partnering with InjureFree to provide sports med placement services including athletic trainers for hosted events, and the opening of Bristol’s Burgers Beef and BBQ fast casual restaurant and Bristol’s Fresh Market grab ‘n go.
Building on the momentum of these recent successes, the Grounds is poised to continue its upward trajectory with additional facility improvements and cutting-edge partnerships on the horizon.
Arizona Athletic Grounds has hosted an impressive contingent of national and international organizations including the Costa Rican national soccer team, Athletes Unlimited, Olympic Development Program, National Wheelchair Basketball League, Special Olympics, U.S. Youth Soccer, Professional Pickleball Association, Nike and Under Armor, with even more marquee events on the horizon.
Highlighting the upcoming events calendar are two major basketball tournaments, starting with the USA Basketball 3X Championships in May and Section 7, one of the most prestigious boys and girls high school basketball recruiting events in the country, moving to the Grounds in June, along with the Triple Crown Volleyball NIT and nationally televised American Cornhole League.
Additionally, in late 2024, FIFA added Arizona Athletic Grounds to its World Cup 26TM team base camp brochure, giving participating nations the option to choose the Grounds as a "home away from home" during the group stage, where they will train, rest and prepare for their matches.
The Grounds proximity to Phoenix, which enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine annually, affords organizers, participants and spectators the convenience of access via two airports, Phoenix Sky Harbor and Mesa Gateway, 65,000 hotel rooms in the greater metropolitan area, and a variety of activities and entertainment options to enhance their visit.
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