For Great Venues, Head West

The Pacific Coast and the American Southwest historically have been magnets for those seeking opportunity and adventure. This certainly holds true today, especially when it comes to world-class sports competition and venue options that are enhanced by natural beauty and distinctive attractions.

Fresno, California

Central California’s Fresno County, which includes Fresno and Clovis, is in the San Joaquin Valley, the heartland of U.S. agriculture. “Fresno and Clovis have great weather, are centrally located in California, and provide a small town vibe with big city amenities,” says Andrew Smith, Visit Fresno County’s director of sales. He also points out that the Clovis Unified School District has some of the best sports facilities in the state at the high school level, and there are almost 7,000 hotel rooms citywide.

The destination hosts a variety of sporting events year-round, including California United Taekwondo Association Championships; CIF championships for swimming and diving, as well as track & field and cross country; California Youth USA Wrestling; and the American Junior Golf Association championship tournament.

Among the key sports venues are the Clovis West and Clovis North Aquatic Centers. Clovis West offers a full complement of diving towers in a separate diving well, a 50-meter eight-lane competition pool and two smaller pools. The Clovis North Aquatic Center includes two parallel 50-meter pools and a diving well.

Meanwhile, the Buchanan High Sports Complex in Clovis provides a tournament-ready softball layout with eight lighted fields, a state-of-the-art baseball stadium and a 10,000-seat track and football facility. Selland Arena, one of Central California’s premier event venues, is known for having the best sightlines in the Valley, where every seat is close to the action. The arena also boasts the largest general admission floor in the region, expanding its capacity to 9,200.

Other sites include Woodward Park BMX, Valley Children’s Stadium (home of the Fresno State University football team), and Chukchansi Park, home base for Minor League Baseball’s Fresno Grizzlies.

Greater Ontario, California

Located in the Cucamonga Valley and just 35 miles northeast of Los Angeles, Ontario is known as “the gateway to Southern California.” Here, it’s easy for event organizers to take advantage of great year-round weather and a plethora of sports facilities.

The Ontario Convention Center is one of the area’s key venues and features an open, multi-level layout that encompasses more than 225,000 square feet of column-free sports event space, perfect for volleyball, basketball, pickleball, cheer competitions and more. The facility is located only two miles from Ontario International Airport, providing easy access to all major markets in Central/Southern California, Arizona and Las Vegas. As an added convenience, there are more than 6,000 hotel rooms in the vicinity.

Just down the road is the Toyota Arena, which hosts more than 125 events annually. The 225,000-square-foot venue is home to the American Hockey League’s Ontario Reign and the Empire Strykers of the Major Arena Soccer League.

Specifically designed to serve the amateur youth sports market, with a primary emphasis on youth soccer, the 130-acre SilverLakes Sports Complex boasts 24 full-size soccer fields and four LED-lighted synthetic fields. Also on offer are five equestrian arenas, a 1,500-horse stall capacity, as well as dining options and a 10,000-person concert facility called The Backyard. Future developments will include a lighted stadium with a 5,000-seat capacity, as well as an indoor sports facility.

“We are extremely fortunate to have the support of the cites and the community that we represent to welcome both professional and amateur sporting events to our region,” says Justin Balancio, manager of Convention Center sales, Ontario CVB. “With the number of versatile facilities that we have to offer, along with being situated in the center of Southern California, our experienced team continues to elevate Greater Ontario California’s reputation as a premier sports destination.”

Laredo, Texas

Located deep in the heart of South Texas, Laredo presents a variety of sports complexes. “Laredo is one of Texas’ best-kept secrets. It can host various sports in a friendly community that welcomes guests to explore the beauty of South Texas,” says Fidel E. Hale IV, sales account coordinator, City of Laredo CVB.

For soccer events, there’s the new PEG Energy Stadium, home of the National Premier Soccer League’s Laredo Heat. This six-acre venue has a 1,200-seat capacity that includes a grandstand overlooking a professional-size field. The field’s artificial turf is filled with BrockFILL organic wood particles to help combat high summer temperatures, and two turf mini-pitches are also available for youth players.

Uni-Trade Stadium is the United States home to The Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos, a bi-national Mexican League professional baseball team. The facility can accommodate 6,000 spectators and provides locker rooms, concession stands and parking.

For swimming, diving and water polo competitions, the Carroll E. Summers Jr. Aquatic Center is the place to be. The 49,000-square-foot venue offers an eight-lane, 50-meter competition pool, a four-lane 50-meter adaptive pool, locker rooms, concession stands, seating for 800 spectators in the grandstands and 15-foot pool decks with coach and participant seating for 700.

For action on the links, the 18-hole par 72 Max A Mandel Municipal Golf Course, which overlooks the Rio Grande River, is acclaimed as one of the best public courses in Texas. It was designed by noted architect Robert Trent Jones II. Amenities include a driving range, pro shop and 9,000-square-foot clubhouse.

Plano, Texas

This vibrant city, located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, is able to host a wide range of sporting events, from youth soccer, ice hockey and diamond sports to international cricket and beyond. For example, the US Youth Soccer Southern Presidents Cup held this past summer featured boys’ and girls’ 13U-19U teams competing for a chance to qualify for the Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup. The event attracted more than 40,000 visitors to Plano and generated an estimated $6 million in economic impact.

“We were incredibly honored to host the prestigious US Youth Sports Presidents Cup in Plano,” says Alysha Carse, director of sales for Visit Plano. “This event not only highlighted our city’s dedication to fostering youth athletic talent, but also showcased Plano as a premier destination for major sporting events.”

The city has created an incredible sports infrastructure that allows it to run some of the best tournaments in the industry—particularly amateur youth competitions. Another venue is Russell Creek Park, a premier soccer complex that can also host other events such as lacrosse, football and cricket.

The facility has 20 full-size rectangle fields (10 lighted), two synthetic fields, two 50' x 80' fields, shaded bleacherettes and concessions. There are also four baseball fields. Carpenter Park is another option, offering 11 full-size rectangle fields, four synthetic turf fields and covered spectator seating.

For diamond sports, Heritage Yards is a premier softball park for adult slow pitch or youth fastpitch. It has nine lighted and fenced fields with scoreboards, shaded benches and bleachers; grandstand seating at championship field #1, fenced warm-up areas and four covered pavilions.

Snohomish, Washington

There’s always lots of sports action at this destination. So far this year, the locale has hosted numerous events including the 2024 USA Softball 14U and 16U Class B and 18U Class A Western Nationals, the 2024 Snohomish United Bigfoot Soccer Tournament, the third annual The Thing Dodgeball Invitational, the 2024 Lake Stevens Pickleball Classic, the 2024 USA Gymnastics Men’s Region 2 Championship, and the 2024 Nautique WWA Wakeboard Nationals and U.S. Wakesurf Nationals.

“Snohomish County offers outdoor beauty with the Cascade Mountains to the east and the Salish Sea to the west,” says Tammy Dunn, executive director of the Snohomish County Sports Commission. “We have excellent venues and can host an array of sports tournaments.” In addition to the events cited above, Dunn notes that Snohomish County can also handle archery, basketball, baseball, Ultimate, rowing, figure skating, hockey, BMX racing, disc golf and cycling.

Notable facilities include the Kayak Point Disc Golf Resort in Stanwood, the Meadowdale Athletic Complex in Lynnwood (with five baseball/softball fields) and the Phil Johnson Ballfields in Everett (with four turf fields). Everett also is home to the Angel of the Winds Arena, a 10,000-seat facility with two NHL-size ice rinks that host hockey, cornhole, figure skating, wrestling, gymnastics, cheer, dance, tennis and basketball. SDM