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🏟️ Opening Day Out West
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,” Clements 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,” Clements 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.
Clements 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.’”
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🏛️ Capitol Hill Catch-Up
Let’s run through a few interconnected youth sports nuggets.
Leading off: The Q3 federal lobbying disclosures are in and, as was the case in Q2, the hockey world remains quite engaged.
Black Bear Sports Group spent $90K regarding “issues related to youth sports”
The NHL spent a combined $200K on various topics, including "private investments in youth sports (and) the Let Kids Play Act”
Seattle Arena Company — tied to the Kraken — spent $40K on matters including "tracking federal legislation limiting private equity firms in youth sports"
The dollar figures are estimates rounded up to the nearest $10K; Black Bear and the NHL did spend more than in Q2, FWIW.
Among the other youth sports-related filings:
FundPlay Foundation spent $20K backing its STRONG Kids Act (SKA)
National PAL said it endorsed SKA in its filing
SFIA, American Medical Association lobbied re: Youth Sports Facilities Act
American Physical Therapy Association lobbied to support CDC work on youth sports concussions
But back to the Let Kids Play Act: The American Economic Liberties Project — which played a big role in the bill behind senior legal fellow and former FTC attorney Katherine Van Dyck — has launched a survey seeking firsthand stories "to inform oversight, legislation, enforcement, and public reporting on consolidation and rising costs in youth sports."
This is a good signal of what is coming next year.
All the various bills are on the shelf through the midterms and the lame-duck session. But they should be reintroduced after the new Congress is sworn in.
The LKPA in particular figures to get a big push. Democrats are expected to control the House and may also snag the Senate. And the bill’s most prominent sponsors should be front and center as they look to 2022.
Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) is openly flirting with a primary challenge to Sen. John Fetterman. And Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) both appear to have presidential ambitions.
Add it all up and it makes sense American Economic Liberties would be looking for fresh content to pair with the policy.
Last thing: We’ve heard there is growing optimism in some corners of the industry that Congress will finally pony up and deliver impactful federal funding for youth sports in the not-too-distant future. It’s not clear if that would be in the form of passing the bipartisan SKA or another mechanism — or if it would come during the Trump Administration or after the White House changes hands.
⚾️ Arizona Athletic Grounds Teams With Perfect Game
The baseball and softball developmental giant has agreed to bring at least 23 events to the mega-complex over two years.
The schedule will include the Arizona Fall State Championship, the Best of the West Invitational and Fall Series tournaments.
🏢 Another SFC Roster Move
The upcoming Chanhassen (Minn.) Community Center will be managed by SFC.
194K-square-foot indoor venue
2 ice sheets
3 basketball courts
Multi-use turf
Fitness, wellness spaces
Indoor playground
Community spaces
Chanhassen is a Minneapolis suburb.
📝 Youth Sports News + Notes
GameChanger has named Jandro Alcantar as its 2026 “GameChanger of the Year” award recipient. Alcantar coaches the San Francisco Bay Sox girls baseball program, which he launched in 2016 and has grown from a single team into a year-round organization serving over 150 girls from ages 7-18, winning a national title last year.
USA Baseball is expanding its National Team Developmental Program with six new age groups. It will have nine NDTPs starting in 2027 — boys from 10U to 17U and a women’s NDTP. It was previously three with just 16U and 17U for boys. The programs are four-day events at the NGB’s headquarters in Cary, North Carolina; players are invited from various USA Baseball identification events.
MADE Hoops announced a partnership with WhatsApp that will include dedicated participant channels at some events. The channels will both connect parents and players and provide logistical information like court assignments; MADE said the goal is to enhance communication and connection across its ecosystem.
Randi Mahomes — the mother of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — will hold an event for her Sports Parents Academy tomorrow in Miami. The Ultimate Sports Parent Experience: Miami Edition runs from 2-6 p.m. at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. She also held an event in Lubbock, Texas, earlier this year. It's $150 for a parent and two kids to attend.
🚔 Parents Behaving Badly: Steel City Edition
When the words “Homeland Security investigation” are involved, you get your own section.
Federal officials say the president of a Pittsburgh-area football organization was part of a drug trafficking ring.
The man was one of eight people arrested following a 15-month probe, according to WPXI. He was also previously convicted on conspiracy to distribute charges in 2004, according to law enforcement.
The organization also received city funding from a controversial anti-violence initiative that is now being scrutinized, according to the report.
🤦♂️ More Parents Behaving Badly
Huntsville, Alabama: The city employee who pleaded guilty to stealing $73K from a youth sports organization has been fired. Local media reporting previously suggested the woman may have actually stolen closer to $254K; officials said the woman has paid the organization back as a condition of her plea deal.
Livermore Falls, Maine: Cops are investigating an altercation involving coaches and parents at a youth football game. An off-duty sheriff’s deputy was allegedly involved in the fracas; the man is also reportedly a county commissioner. The incident was caught on tape.
Pittsfield, Maryland: Cops said a man is posing as a youth baseball and softball coach and offering fraudulent jersey sponsorship partnerships. The suspect has active warrants and has allegedly already ran off with money from some businesses.
South Portland, Maine: A former official may have embezzled from a youth soccer organization. The club said it is cooperating with law enforcement after discovering discrepancies; cops said they do not know how much money may be missing.
🔗 Youth Sports Links
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Good game.