Revenge of the Birds
It has taken quite a few embarrassing “F’s” from the players, but finally the Arizona Cardinals are getting something done about their practice facilities.
The team announced today they are moving their team facilities to North Phoenix… from the team:
After researching dozens of other sites, one clearly emerged as the optimal location – Paradise Ridge located in North Phoenix, west of Scottsdale Road and north of the Loop 101.
This past summer, the Cardinals – with the assistance of real estate development company Mortenson – purchased the 217-acre property at auction from the Arizona State Land Department for $136 million.
The Cardinals new training facility and business operations will anchor the mixed-use development site, occupying 30 acres and over 250,000 square feet. The footprint of the team’s current facility is 14 acres and 156,000 square feet.
The new training facility and team headquarters are being designed by Rossetti, a leading sports architecture firm that has worked with a number of NFL teams on new facilities.
The targeted opening for the new Cardinals facility and team headquarters is 2028.
It will feature three natural-grass outdoor practice fields and a fieldhouse with a full-size turf field indoors. Additional elements of the new, world-class training facility will include a greatly expanded and modern locker room and state-of-the-art team spaces for athletic training, sports medicine and strength and conditioning in addition to updated dining areas, meeting rooms, a player lounge and more.
As for the remainder of the mixed-use site, an affiliate of the team will work closely with the City of Phoenix and the Arizona Commerce Authority to consider uses that are complementary. Options include potential corporate headquarters as well as restaurant and retail locations, medical facilities and residential development.
This is a massive step for the Arizona Cardinals, as their Tempe facility is generally considered one of the worst football facilities in the league. Now, they will have something that many teams offer their players and prospective free agents, and will be able to compete at least in that area.
