Kino Sports Complex

Kino Sports Complex
Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium (baseball); North Stadium (soccer)
	Tucson Sidewinders (PCL) (1998–2008); Tucson Padres (PCL) (2011–2013); Tucson Saguaros (PL) (2016–2017, 2022–present); North Stadium; FC Tucson (USL2) (2012–present); Pima CC Aztecs football (2014–2018)
Website
	www.kinosportscomplex.com

Kino Sports Complex is a multiple-use sports complex in

Tucson Sidewinders of the Pacific Coast League for the team's last decade in Tucson, running from the stadium's 1998 opening season to the 2008 season. The ballpark was a temporary home (2011–2013) to the Tucson Padres (formerly the Portland Beavers) of the Pacific Coast League during the team's relocation to El Paso, Texas. It is also the regular season home of the Pecos League's Tucson Saguaros

baseball team since 2016. It seats 11,500 fans, and hosts concerts in addition to its primary function as a baseball park.

Kino Sports Complex is also used to host

Desert Diamond Cup

preseason soccer tournament.

History

Spring training and AAA venue

Tucson Electric Park opened in 1998. Larger and more modern than central Tucson's

Tucson Sidewinders, and became the Diamondbacks' AAA affiliate. Furthermore, the Diamondbacks themselves became a tenant of TEP for spring training, sharing the facility with the Chicago White Sox (who moved from their previous spring training facility in Sarasota, Florida). Across town, the Colorado Rockies

continued to hold their spring training at Hi Corbett Field.

Mexican Rookie team

The unaffiliated

Arizona Rookie League

played at the spring training complex across from the stadium from 1998 to 2000.

Departure of MLB spring training

The Chicago White Sox had an agreement to move to

Cactus League games now take place in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Diamondbacks and Rockies share the new Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, which opened in 2011 near Scottsdale

.

Departure of the Sidewinders

The Tucson Sidewinders also played their last season at TEP in 2008. The team moved to Reno, Nevada, renaming itself the Reno Aces and remaining the AAA affiliate of the Diamondbacks.

At the same time, the

independent Golden Baseball League, displaced by the arrival of the Aces, relocated to Tucson. Instead of using TEP, however, the new team located itself at the more historic Hi Corbett Field and retook the historic name of the Tucson Toros

.

TEP was thus, for a time, without any Major League or minor league baseball tenant.

Name change

In 2010, after the end of the

Jesuit missionary

who first explored southern Arizona in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The Pima County Board of Supervisors approved the name change (Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium) on January 18, 2011.

Tucson Padres

In 2011, the San Diego Padres Triple-A affiliate relocated from Portland, Oregon to Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium and renamed itself the Tucson Padres. They were formerly known as the Portland Beavers. Originally the San Diego Padres organization wanted to arrange for a stadium to be approved and constructed in Escondido, California, however that stadium plan later fell through when California eliminated their redevelopment agencies.^[9] The team departed Tucson for El Paso, Texas prior to the beginning of the 2014 season and assumed the name "El Paso Chihuahuas."^[10]

FC Tucson

Since 2012, FC Tucson has played its games at Kino Sports Complex's North Stadium. The club began its existence in the Premier Development League (now USL League Two), and in 2019 began play in the higher-level USL League One. In 2023, the team went back to USL League Two.

Pima Community College

The Pima Community College Aztecs football played its home games at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium for several seasons. The team moved to the Kino Sports Complex North Stadium for the 2014 season until the school ended its football program completely in 2018.^[11]

World Baseball Classic

The qualifiers for the 2023 World Baseball Classic were held at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium in September 2022.^[12]

References

^ "Tucson Electric Park". www.baseballpilgrimages.com.
^ "Baseball Tax Plan Adds Local Diversions to the List". Arizona Daily Star. June 28, 2008.
^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
^ "Tucson Electric Park – Holben, Martin & White Consulting Structural Engineers Inc". Archived from the original on May 5, 2014.
^ "sports.html". January 15, 2002. Archived from the original on 2002-01-15.
^ Teichgraeber, Tara (April 5, 1998). "Field Construction Hot Ticket for Valley Crest". Phoenix Business Journal.
^ Watters, Carrie (November 18, 2008). "White Sox Will Play in Glendale Next Spring". The Arizona Republic.
^ http://www.pima.gov/current/White.Sox.economic.development.proposal.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ Smith, Dylan (December 18, 2010). "Tucson's New Triple-A Team Announces Name: Tucson Padres". Tucson Sentinel.
^ Finley, Patrick (December 29, 2011). "Tucson Padres Owner to Look at Selling Team". Arizona Daily Star.
^ "Aztecs football falls to Kilgore College in Heart of Texas Bowl". Pima Aztecs. December 1, 2018.
^ Axisa, Mike. "Hall of Famer Mike Piazza to manage Italy when World Baseball Classic returns in 2023." CBS Sports. March 23, 2022. Accessed March 24, 2022. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/hall-of-famer-mike-piazza-to-manage-italy-when-world-baseball-classic-returns-in-2023/

External links

Media related to Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium at Wikimedia Commons

Preceded by Hi Corbett Field	Home of the Tucson Sidewinders 1998–2008	Succeeded by Aces Ballpark
Preceded by first ballpark	Home of the Arizona Diamondbacks Spring Training 1998–2010	Succeeded by Salt River Fields at Talking Stick
Preceded by Ed Smith Stadium	Home of the Chicago White Sox Spring Training 1998–2008	Succeeded by Camelback Ranch
Preceded by PGE Park	Home of the Tucson Padres 2011–2013	Succeeded by Southwest University Park
Preceded by first ballpark	Home of the Tucson Saguaros 2016–2017, 2022-present	Succeeded by Current

[1] "Tucson Electric Park". www.baseballpilgrimages.com.

[2] "Baseball Tax Plan Adds Local Diversions to the List". Arizona Daily Star. June 28, 2008.

[inflation-US-3] 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.

[4] "Tucson Electric Park – Holben, Martin & White Consulting Structural Engineers Inc". Archived from the original on May 5, 2014.

[5] "sports.html". January 15, 2002. Archived from the original on 2002-01-15.

[6] Teichgraeber, Tara (April 5, 1998). "Field Construction Hot Ticket for Valley Crest". Phoenix Business Journal.

[7] Watters, Carrie (November 18, 2008). "White Sox Will Play in Glendale Next Spring". The Arizona Republic.

[8] ttp://www.pima.gov/current/White.Sox.economic.development.proposal.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}

[9] Smith, Dylan (December 18, 2010). "Tucson's New Triple-A Team Announces Name: Tucson Padres". Tucson Sentinel.

[10] Finley, Patrick (December 29, 2011). "Tucson Padres Owner to Look at Selling Team". Arizona Daily Star.

[11] "Aztecs football falls to Kilgore College in Heart of Texas Bowl". Pima Aztecs. December 1, 2018.

[12] Axisa, Mike. "Hall of Famer Mike Piazza to manage Italy when World Baseball Classic returns in 2023." CBS Sports. March 23, 2022. Accessed March 24, 2022. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/hall-of-famer-mike-piazza-to-manage-italy-when-world-baseball-classic-returns-in-2023/

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

v t e Music venues of Arizona
Outdoor venues	Ak-Chin Pavilion Anselmo Valencia Tori Amphitheater Chase Field Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium Mesa Amphitheatre The Pool at Talking Stick Salt River Fields State Farm Stadium Sun Bowl Amphitheatre Sun Devil Stadium
Theaters and clubs	Arizona Federal Theatre Celebrity Theatre Chandler Center for the Arts Club Congress Fox Tucson Theatre Gammage Memorial Auditorium Marquee Theatre The Mason Jar Mesa Arts Center Orpheum Theater Orpheum Theatre Phoenix Symphony Hall Rialto Theatre Rhythm Room Safford Center for the Arts The Showroom at Talking Stick Skrappys Trunk Space Tempe Center for the Arts Tucson Music Hall
Arenas	Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum Desert Diamond Arena Desert Financial Arena Findlay Toyota Center Footprint Center Global Credit Union Arena Mojave Crossing Tucson Arena Walkup Skydome
Historic venues	Compton Terrace Graham Central Station Long Wong's Phoenix Show Palace