Sports

Tucson soccer fans will have something to cheer for this Saturday, Nov. 13 when local club FC Tucson competes for a spot in the USL Championship final.

Just as Arizona has made a name for itself as a world-class golf mecca, neighboring Baja California Sur – just a two-hour flight from Phoenix and home to Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo – is starting to do the same.

The Cactus League has appointed Bridget Binsbacher as the organization’s first executive director. Binsbacher, a Peoria City Council member, has been involved with the Cactus League for over a decade and is the first full-time staff for the previously all-volunteer nonprofit.

The Cactus League Hall of Fame welcomes five new members this year:

The Cactus League means big business for Arizona. Spring training generates economic impact rivaling a Super Bowl or Final Four – and it happens every year.

Our volunteers play a key role in the Cactus League experience for visiting fans, pitching in to help as parking lot attendants, ushers and program sales people, to name just a few duties. Their smiles and enthusiasm for the game are as much a part of spring training as hot dogs and beer.

Salt River Fields is located within and owned by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and is the first MLB spring training facility built on Native American land. The ballpark is shared by NL West rivals – the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies.

The San Francisco Giants have drawn at least 9,700 fans per game at Scottsdale Stadium each of the last six years, behind only the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks. Giants faithful have come to love Scottsdale Stadium, located a short walk from Old Town bars and restaurants.

When it comes to spectators, the Chicago Cubs are the Cactus League’s prime draw. With the league’s largest seating capacity, Mesa’s Sloan Park has hosted the 20 biggest crowds in Cactus League history, led by the 15,849 who attended a 2018 game against San Francisco. The Cubs in 2016 averaged a record 15,078 per game.

The Cactus League’s oldest and smallest ballpark, Tempe Diablo Stadium, still packs them in each season, ranking in the top six in attendance. The stadium is one of the circuit’s most scenic venues, with an ancient rock formation rising beyond the left field corner. A freeway passes just beyond the right field wall, which must remind Anaheim Angels fans of home.