DODGERS AND WHITE SOX
NEW DESERT HOME NAMED
“CAMELBACK RANCH” IN GLENDALE
Unparalleled facility will
welcome both teams for Spring Training in 2009
GLENDALE,
Ariz – The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox announced today that
their two-team, state-of-the-art Spring Training campus in Glendale, AZ will be
named Camelback Ranch. Dodger Owner and Chairman Frank McCourt and White Sox
Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf made the announcement.
“The
name ‘Camelback Ranch’ inspires the pioneering spirit of the Dodgers’
original move west in 1958 and with our relocation this spring to Arizona, that
move is now complete,” said McCourt. “We believe this facility will be the
best in all of Major League Baseball and will provide our team with an
unparalleled place to prepare year-round for championship-caliber baseball.”
“Camelback
Ranch in Glendale soon will be known as the crown-jewel of the Cactus League,”
said Reinsdorf. “Starting this spring, baseball fans will be able to
enjoy a world-class complex that features the Cactus League’s largest ballpark
with state-of-the-art amenities and one of the most scenic environments in all
of sports and entertainment.”
The
141-acre site is located on Camelback Road just west of the Loop 101. The
first-rate baseball facility includes more than 118,000 square feet of Major and
Minor League clubhouse space, 13 full baseball fields, and three half-fields.
The site will feature picturesque walking trails, landscaped grounds, and an
orange grove. There will also be two ponds and a fully-stocked lake between the
Dodgers and White Sox facilities.
The
shared stadium, which will be the focal point of the complex, is the largest in
the Cactus League with a capacity of 13,000 which includes 3,000 lawn seats, 12
luxury suites, a party deck, and a unique center field rotunda entrance. Fans
will enjoy the ballpark’s modern amenities and design as well as dramatic
mountain views from within the park that will create one of the most inviting
Spring Training atmospheres in all of baseball.
“It
is my sincere hope that generations of families will create lifelong memories at
Camelback Ranch,” said Dodger President Jamie McCourt. “This idyllic setting
– only five hours by car and a one-hour flight from Los Angeles – could not
come at a more perfect time for Dodger fans, many of whom have waited a long
time to take part in the Spring Training experience.”
“Many
former Chicagoans now call the Valley home,” said Reinsdorf. “That large
contingent of people, along with the thousands of current Chicagoans who travel
to the Phoenix area during the winter months, now will have the opportunity to
enjoy White Sox baseball in an incomparable sports and entertainment
facility.”
In
addition to serving as the Spring Training home of the White Sox and Dodgers,
the campus will become the home for all Dodger minor league operations
throughout the year, including the team’s Arizona League entry and Fall
Instructional League team. The White Sox also will use Camelback Ranch in
Glendale as the home for their Fall Instructional League.
Camelback
Ranch will become a multi-use facility, available to host concerts, sporting
events, and corporate outings, in addition to Spring Training baseball.
The 2009 Spring Training schedules will be released shortly for each team, while the joint venture offers six different season ticket options: Home Plate Club, Dugout Field Box, Baseline Field Box, Premium Infield Box, Infield Box, and Baseline Reserved, along with day-of-game Lawn seating. Fans interested in purchasing season tickets should call (623) 877-8585.