ATHLETICS

Youth Sports

The City of Mesa established a partnership with the Phoenix Suns to enhance the Youth Basketball Program. There were 275 participants. The partnership included some once-in-a-lifetime experiences for players, and they received enhanced jerseys, coach’s shirts, and raffle prizes for participants.

In February 2022, City of Mesa Youth Sports partnered with Major League Wiffleball (MLW) to host their 1st official Wiffleball Tournament at Riverview Park. The tournament attracted 18 teams from across the valley and two teams from California.

City of Mesa Youth Sports offered a football camp in April 2022. This camp included special guest coaches who all played in the National Football League (NFL). The NFL coaches provided on field instruction and motivational speeches. There were 110 participants registered for the event.

Adult Sports

Adult sports staff started two new programs in 2022 that have been a huge hit for Mesa Residents. “Mesa Hikes” takes participants to various trails around the state.

The second program, Recess for Adults, continues to be a big hit. The program allows adults to explore their inner child with such activities as hide and seek, relay races, indoor soccer, floor ball and a trip to Rhodes for the FlowRider.

In January 2022, the Senior Softball League had an average of 12 teams that played in a 7-week program. The league attracts visitors to Mesa from other states and several teams from Canada.

Athletic Field Rentals

One of the most popular events that take place at our baseball and soccer complexes are athletic tournaments. In FY 21/22, a total of 71 tournaments were hosted in Mesa.

Mesa rental staff created additional partnerships for tournaments held at Hohokam and Fitch fields. The Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) hosted two different tournaments for their Division 6 and Division 4 Baseball Championships. AIA hosted a girls fastpitch state level tournament at Fiesta Sports Park bringing in hundreds of visitors to Mesa.

Mesa Tennis & Pickleball Center

The Mesa Tennis & Pickleball Center (MTPC) was selected for the USTA 2021 Outstanding Facility Award. MTPC saw over a 250% increase in tournament attendance.

MTPC has hosted a variety of tournaments in FY 21/22. The most popular was the first ever “Glow in the Dark” Pickleball tournament, where 50 participants played this fun sport under blacklights with glowing balls.