The City of Ontario, The Sports Facilities Companies and Greater Ontario CVB scheduled to open 190-acre facility in fall 2026

The City of Ontario, The Sports Facilities Companies (SFC), and the Greater Ontario Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) announced the official name of their groundbreaking multi-use sports complex: The Ontario Sports Empire. Set to open in fall 2026, the complex is positioned to become the premier venue for major regional and national tournaments, elevating Ontario as a key sports destination in the United States.

With 190 acres of top-tier athletic facilities, including 20 long fields, 14 youth diamond fields, eight full-size diamonds, four football/rugby fields and two championship baseball fields, the Ontario Sports Empire will be the largest sports complex of its kind west of the Rocky Mountains.

“The Ontario Sports Empire will bring new jobs, boost tourism, and create lasting opportunities for our local businesses,” said Paul Leon, Mayor of Ontario. “This project represents a key part of Ontario’s future as a regional hub for commerce, recreation, and culture.”

“This complex is not just another sports facility; it’s a national destination for elite competitions and youth development. It will also be home for the community to host events and celebrations,” said SFC Partner and National Director of Business Development Jim Arnold. “We’re excited to work alongside city leaders and industry experts to create a venue that will elevate Ontario’s profile on the sports tourism map and serve the community for years to come.”

Located just 10 minutes from Ontario International Airport, the Ontario Sports Empire is designed to draw teams from across the country. The city already boasts 6,000 hotel rooms and numerous entertainment options, making it an ideal location for visiting teams, athletes, and fans.

“This venue will position Ontario as a must-visit city for major sporting events. It’s an exciting development that will put Ontario on the national stage, driving significant growth in both sports tourism and local economic impact,” said Michael Krouse, President and CEO of GOCAL (Greater Ontario California) and the Greater Ontario Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Home Run for Youth: Dodgers Foundation and Partners Unveil New Dreamfields at Blair Park

The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF), with lead partner San Manuel Mission Band of Indians and in collaboration with the City of San Bernardino, will proudly unveil Dodgers Dreamfields 61, 62 and 63 at Blair Park on Saturday, May 18. These fields bring LADF closer to completing its goal of 75 fields by 2033 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Dodgers’ move to Los Angeles in 1958.

The ceremony, which culminates the construction of LADF’s latest project, will include a brief program featuring remarks from LADF CEO Nichol Whiteman, City of San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran, and additional partners and sponsors. Special guests include Los Angeles Dodgers Third-base Coach Dino Ebel. Following the unveiling, local San Bernardino youth baseball and softball players will participate in a skills clinic on the new fields.

This $1.7 million transformative investment will support youth ages 5-18 with three refurbished fields. Crucial upgrades at Blair Park include new playing surfaces and grass, enclosed fields, upgraded dugouts, upgraded irrigation systems, new pitchers’ mounds, bullpens and LED scoreboards resembling Dodger Stadium.

“The unveiling of three new Dodgers Dreamfields is a celebration of the power of community, the joy of play, and the boundless potential of our youth,” said Nichol Whiteman, CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. “These fields represent dreams taking flight and where transformative play ensures every child has a place to dream, grow and shine.”

LADF’s newest refurbishments were made possible by a nearly $1.3 million grant from lead partner San Manuel Mission Band of Indians, and it is the largest gift for a Dodgers Dreamfield project to date. Additional project sponsors include Security Benefit, LA84 Foundation and the Helen and Will Webster Foundation. The fields constructed, as a result of these strategic partnerships, align with LADF’s new Strategic Plan: Lasting Impact for Los Angeles, which builds upon its successes by amplifying best practices, scaling solutions to reach more Angelenos, growing its capacity, and refining its work to create a lasting impact for Los Angeles.

“Our partnership with the youth of the Inland Empire region continues to grow just like the boundless energy, creativity, and pursuits of our bright young people,” said Lynn Valbuena, Chairwoman of San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. “Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels is only the most recent example of the potential of San Bernardino youth. We are confident that future Major League Baseball stars will crowd the Dreamfields at Blair Park very soon!” 

According to Parks for California, 65% of San Bernardino residents live in areas with less than three acres of park space per 1,000 people, and 39% live further than half a mile from a park, where the national average is 55%. Upon completion of the fields, over 9,800 youth under 18 living in San Bernardino will have access to a safe place to play and baseball and softball programming at Blair Park. The City of San Bernardino hopes the project will help curtail these statistics and help maintain the city’s vibrant and unique culture.

LADF builds and refurbishes baseball and softball fields in underserved communities through the Dodgers Dreamfields program, providing families with safe havens and points of pride in their neighborhoods. Dodgers Dreamfields are game-changers, revitalizing green spaces to help re-energize the community’s involvement in baseball and softball while boosting the safety of local parks and providing a place where neighbors can gather, exercise and play. Since 2003, LADF has invested over $20 million to refurbish 63 Dodgers Dreamfields and provide more than 400,000 kids access to playable baseball and softball fields. 

Locally Televised Hockey Broadcasts Bring All the Home Team Action to Desert Residents

In addition to record setting attendance across the season and during the current Calder Cup Playoff run, the Coachella Valley Firebirds are also registering strong ratings on local television. Select games have aired locally on the stations of Gulf California Broadcast Company, including KESQ, Fox11 and CW5.

“We’ve enjoyed having the 12 Firebirds games on our group of stations and have been pleasantly surprised by the TV ratings”, says Jerry Upham, General Manager of Fox 11, KESQ News Channel 3 and the four other Gulf California Broadcast Company stations. “The advertiser support and viewer response has been very positive, and we look forward to carrying more games in the future”.

More local residents are turning to the televised games to support the valley’s first professional sports team, as the Firebirds make a deep run into the Calder Cup playoffs. Since the first broadcast on December 18^th, the audience has doubled for Firebirds playoff coverage.

The Firebirds triple overtime victory on May 15^th attracted an average audience of around 3500 viewers, with the final half hour (and final overtime) winning the time period among all of the local stations.

The hockey broadcasts include in-arena pre-game, intermission, and post-game shows, hosted by Gino LaMont with Hockey Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr. The in-game play-by-play is handled by Evan Pivnick, the voice of the Coachella Valley Firebirds, with Fuhr providing color commentary. KESQ sports director Blake Arthur and other on-air talent from News Channel 3 provide rinkside player, coach, and fan interviews.

Tune in to catch LaMont, Fuhr, Pivnick, and Arthur this Thursday for coverage of game one of the Western Conference Finals on Fox11. The pregame show begins at 6:30pm with puck drop at 7pm.

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS START THURSDAY

The Firebirds will take on the Milwaukee Admirals in the latest round of Playoffs with the winner of this best of seven series advancing to the Calder Cup Finals.  The Firebirds continue to turn up the heat and are burning white hot as they enter Round 4 of the Playoffs. Fans are encouraged to wear white to all Round 4 home games. In addition, pre-game events will kick off for all home games at 5:30 p.m. featuring live music, fan photo ops with Fuego, Firebirds merchandise, food & beverage specials at The Oasis outdoor patio and much more!

Fans are encouraged to arrive early on game days and be seated ahead of the 7 p.m. puck drop for special pre-game Rally the Valley entertainment to help cheer on the home team at Acrisure Arena! Tickets are on sale now with individual tickets starting at just $29 and group tickets (10 or more people) beginning at $25. Visit CVFirebirds.com to purchase and learn more information.

Season tickets for the Firebirds’ 2023-24 campaign are on sale now! For a full list of benefits and more information on Season Ticket Memberships for the 2023-24 season, click HERE or call 760-835-8778.