MESA — Sports in Arizona are increasingly defined not only by the Phoenix Suns, Diamondbacks, Cardinals and major events such as the Super Bowl, but by the state’s growing role in athlete development.
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© Arizona Athletic Grounds – Ryan Woodcock
Arizona Athletic Grounds recently announced a partnership with Sports Academy, a nationally recognized performance and training organization, to operate the facility’s Sports Performance Center. The move expands AAG’s broader effort to build a more complete athlete development system in the state.
The Mesa-based campus already attracts more than 2.9 million visitors every year and has become one of the nation’s largest youth sports destinations. AAG officials say the goal is to move beyond hosting tournaments and toward a year-round development model.
“Arizona Athletic Grounds was built to become a complete destination for athlete development, competition and community impact,” AAG Vice Chairman Mike Burke said in a statement.
© Arizona Athletic Grounds – Ryan Woodcock
For years, many elite Arizona athletes left the state to pursue training opportunities in California, Texas or Florida, where large-scale sports academies and performance systems are more established. While the state has consistently produced high-level talent across multiple sports, it has lacked a development hub that combines training, recovery, analytics and competition in one system.
The timing reflects Arizona’s continued emergence as a national sports market, driven by population growth, year-round training conditions and increasing investment in athletics.
The Valley regularly hosts major sporting events and continues to attract new organizations and competitions. That includes hosting international teams, bids for future Olympic-related events and emerging semi-professional leagues establishing teams in the region.
© Arizona Athletic Grounds – Ryan Woodcock
Those developments have elevated Arizona’s profile as a sports destination, but now the next phase is building infrastructure for athlete development at the youth and amateur levels.
The region’s climate allows for year-round training, while population growth has fueled rapid expansion in youth and club sports participation. At the same time, many families have sought higher-level training opportunities without leaving the state.
The partnership with Sports Academy is designed to expand access to performance training, including coaching, diagnostics, recovery services and structured development programs for athletes across age groups.
© Arizona Athletic Grounds – Ryan Woodcock
The long-term implications could extend beyond youth sports. If the model succeeds, Arizona Athletic Grounds could emerge as a pipeline connecting young athletes to collegiate and professional opportunities while keeping more elite development within the state.
As Arizona’s sports economy continues to grow, Mesa may be positioning itself as a central hub in the state’s athlete development system.
Satou Sabally reflects on her departure from the Phoenix Mercury and her decision to move on to a new opportunity in New York.#PhoenixMercury #WNBAhttps://t.co/o1ZPa7k4fY
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Wendy Lopez is a reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow her on her X account, @wlopezde
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