In the coming days, The Legacy Sports name will be removed from buildings at a massive sports complex in Mesa, and in its place will be the new name: Arizona Athletic Grounds.
The new owners have new contracts and a game plan for using the 320-acre space after their predecessor filed for bankruptcy a few years after they opened.
From the backseat of a golf cart, the new owners of the sports complex in southeast Mesa showed ABC15 around their new digs.
The ride-along is a seat we’ve been in before.
In December 2021, the previous owners gave us the first look right before the one-of-a-kind space opened.
By the spring of 2023, what was once known as Bell Bank Park rescinded its naming rights due to the owner’s financial troubles.
Then in May, the non-profit named Legacy Cares, which built the park, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
At that point, Legacy owed more than $366 million to over 200 creditors.
“Let’s be clear, this place was on the verge of liquidation,” said President of Arizona Athletic Grounds Mike Burke.
Burke, along with investors at Rocky Mountain Resources, told the U.S. bankruptcy court in December that it closed its more than $25 million acquisition of the park.
One of the investors is LA Clippers point guard Russell Westbrook.
“We’re looking at different ways to partner with him, especially on the basketball side,” said Burke.
Over the next 100 days, 200 new vendors will be using what is now called Arizona Athletic Grounds.
One change will remove the liability of a zipline that ran along what was previously known as Miller Lite Way. Part of the new game plan is to bring vendors in that venture beyond sports.
“Creating warmer environments, more music-based events, improving food and beverage,” said Burke.
As one of the largest sporting venues in the US, there are more than 180 playing surfaces for soccer, pickleball, lacrosse, football, baseball, softball, and volleyball.
There’s a 3,000-seat outdoor stadium and a 2,800-seat indoor arena.
Burke said he hopes to turn an online gaming space into a “players lounge” where people can watch live streams of what’s happening on other parts of the complex.
The director of community engagement, Torrie Miraldi, looks to emphasize family-friendly events like food-truck Fridays, a partnership with the Boys and Girls Club, and women’s athletics.
“We want to be partnering on such a large level, that people know who we are just by the visuals,” she said.
Burke and Miraldi said they’re aware of prior issues like reliable WiFi, a lack of surrounding hotels, and spectators paying for parking.
The new ownership group says they’re addressing all of it, and listening to prior complaints.
As for that parking fee, we’re told if it’s a weekend event, you may still have to pay for parking.
The old Legacy Sports signs are expected to start changing to Arizona Athletic Group signs by Friday.
