$850M Ontario Sports Empire Complex Readies For Opening Day

Courtesy of SFC

Ontario Sports Empire is hours away from kick off.

The $850M, 190-acre mega-complex in Southern California — owned by the city and managed by The Sports Facilities Companies — opens tomorrow with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, celebrity appearances, clinics, entertainment and a packed youth sports schedule.

It is the largest multi-use venue of its kind west of the Rocky Mountains.

“It is going to transform that region of the country,” SFC CEO Jason Clement told Buying Sandlot. “We circled the West Coast as almost a desert for sports facilities about 5-7 years ago. This is finally the municipality that is willing to invest in the oasis in that desert.”

20 multi-purpose rectangular fields
14 youth baseball/softball diamonds
8 full-size baseball diamonds
4 football/rugby fields
2 championship baseball fields
On-site food, beverage
Projected 1.2-1.5M annual visitors, $60-70M in annual economic impact

The complex also includes ONT Field and the Ontario Tower Buzzers, the Dodgers’ Single-A affiliate. The 6.5K-seat stadium is managed separately by Legends Global, but its $150M cost is included in the complex’s price tag. Clements said SFC and Legends work together closely.

Ontario Sports Empire is designed to blend community access and usage and address facilities gaps during the week while attracting tournament business on the weekend — two areas the region has traditionally been lacking in due to a dearth of complexes compared to other parts of the country.

“Real estate is so expensive out there,” Clement said. “For 10 years, we've been all over that marketplace. I don't know how many studies with municipal and private developers we've done. Dozens and dozens of them. They're really difficult to pencil out from a P&L perspective because of the cost of real estate and the acquisition. That's why it's so meaningful for the city of Ontario to step up and say, ‘This is important to us. We see what the qualitative return on investment is, and the quantitative return on investment.’”

The complex will tap into the region’s existing infrastructure to attract sports tourism. Ontario International Airport is 10 minutes away and there are over 6K hotel rooms in the surrounding area, plus nearby dining, entertaining and retail.

This is also the latest example of a youth sports venue being integrated with professional sports.

“That is the trend,” Clement said. “Not just brand wise, but you look at media and social media. You look at player profiles, the game experience in terms of walk-up songs and the big league opportunities. And now when you layer in sharing of tickets, food and beverage, marketing partnerships — all of those things are going to elevate this particular location against what could be other destinations for normal run-of-the-mill weekend tournaments.”

Perfect Game will host the complex’s first baseball games this weekend while AYSO will hold soccer games.

USSSA — which has a baseball partnership with Unrivaled Sports — and Triple Crown are also scheduled to hold future events.

Clement said the complex is booked out for the next few years as it leverages its ability to host myriad sports. He also believes the complex will benefit from its proximity to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which he expects will spur participation spikes locally and nationwide.

“It’s not ‘build it and they will come,’” the Iowa native said. “It’s ‘build it and know they’re coming.’”