Surprise
Recreation Center
Surprise, Arizona

From the beginning, the City of Surprise planned for a “stadium city,” with commercial, retail and leisure elements. Designed by HOK S+V+E, the Surprise Recreation Center includes a two-team spring training facility for Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers – and a library, aquatic center, five-acre lake, infrastructure, and parking.

Such enjoyable surroundings help account for the popularity of pre-season baseball, which drew more than 2.7-million fans last year. At Surprise, the below-grade playing field gives arriving fans a view straight to the outfield—until now, strictly a big-league perspective. The concourses are as spacious as any in Texas, and the Jumbotron video board will have Kansas City fans feeling right at home.

At the same time, spring training facilities offer the player access and quirkiness most often associated with the minor leagues. In Surprise both the clubhouse entrances and batting cages sit in the main concourse. With very little foul territory, fans get up close and personal with the likes of Alex Rodriguez. And that giant Jumbotron? The city plans to use it for movie nights in the off-season.