Many, many years ago, there was a piece of property in South Chandler at the corner of Ocotillo and Alma School. It was the site of the Milwaukee Brewers spring training facility known as Compadre Stadium. At the time, I wrote and spoke to many groups about the idea of converting that land into a sports facility that would be the home for high school football finals and much, much more. Now it’s filled with nice houses next to Snedigar Sports Park.
We haven’t had a mid-size sports facility built in the Valley. We need a mid-size sports facility that would be centrally located for several events that should not be played at Sun Devil or Cardinals stadiums. From my understanding, the cost is prohibitive to host 10-15 thousand fans.
In 2020, Chandler and Hamilton played in a memorable championship game at Desert Vista high school that came down to the final play. However, it wasn’t live on TV, and it wasn’t in a venue that had a feeling of being remarkable except for those in attendance, and even then, many told me how disappointed they were with the venue.
I understand that the AIA is looking into playing the football championship games at a venue other than Sun Devil Stadium or Cardinals Stadium. In my view, Bell Bank Park in Southeast Mesa, Phoenix Rising FC stadium at Wildhorse Pass, Mesa CC, or a large high school stadium look to be the choices. I’ve heard that perhaps playing in Tucson at Arizona Stadium could be a solution.
The championship games being live on TV is a whole other matter that has many layers that need/have to be changed. I’ll save that rant for another day…
Brad Cesmat
