Summary of the Article: Mesa to Pay $16.8M to Upgrade Cubs’ Spring Training Sloan Park
- Mesa City Council Approval: The city council has approved $16.8 million in upgrades to Sloan Park, the Chicago Cubs’ spring training facility in Mesa, Arizona.
- Facility Improvements:
- Construction of a women’s locker room to accommodate the growing number of female staff in Major League Baseball.
- Development of an 18,000-square-foot hitting and pitching performance lab featuring modern motion capture technology to improve player training.
- Funding Details:
- Mesa will cover all construction costs using funds from its Capital General Fund.
- The city has been setting aside funds annually to support these scheduled improvements.
- The Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority has contributed over $7 million toward the project.
- The Cubs organization will pay for fixtures, furniture, and equipment.
- Construction and Timeline:
- M.A. Mortenson Co. has been selected as the contractor.
- The firm has experience building sports training facilities, including the Dodgers Performance Lab at Camelback Ranch.
- The upgrades are expected to be completed before the 2026 Cactus League spring training season.
- Spring Training Popularity:
- Sloan Park consistently leads the Cactus League in attendance.
- In 2024, the Cubs had the highest average attendance (13,401 per game).
- A game between the Cubs and Texas Rangers in 2024 attracted 16,142 fans, just 10 short of the league record.
- Mesa’s Broader Plans:
- The city is also in discussions with the Oakland Athletics regarding improvements to Fitch Park and Hohokam Stadium, where the A’s train and play spring games.
Overall, this project represents Mesa’s commitment to maintaining Sloan Park as a premier spring training destination while modernizing facilities to support the changing landscape of Major League Baseball.