 Home |  Cactus League  Grapefruit League  Schedules  Shop |  Contact Us |
| Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox Spring Training | Area Info - Glendale |
| Stadium | Location | Parking | Seating | Schedule | Hotels | Restaurants |
Camelback RanchSpring Training home of the Dodgers and White Sox since 2009 Ballpark address: Opened: 2009 |
 |
The ballpark is on land owned by Glendale that's actually within the city limits of Phoenix. The land was purchased in the 1990s for use as a buffer for the neighboring Glendale Municipal Airport. Eventually, the nearly 500 undeveloped acres close to the spring training complex will be full of shops, restaurants and hotels. But for now, the only significant construction completed in the immediate area is the Camelback Ranch neighborhood that is across the street from the baseball complex.
Directions
Take the Loop 101 to the Camelback Road exit (#5) and travel west for about 1½ miles. The stadium is just past the intersection of 107th Avenue and Camelback Road on your right-hand side.
Parking
The complex has ample parking, 5,000 spaces total, divided up between two lots, only one of which is partially paved (although there is a fully paved area for season ticket holders). The sometimes used dirt parking lot behind center field is accessed directly from Camelback Road on the days it's needed, while the bigger and always open lot to the immediate west of the ballpark is entered via Ball Park Boulevard (across from 111th Avenue).
Cost: Free
Time saving tip when a big crowd is expected: When exiting the 101 get into the left lane of the two-lane highway that heads toward Camelback Ranch so you'll bypass most of the backed up traffic that is entering the first parking lot gate. Cruise on by those standing still vehicles in the right lane to Ball Park Blvd and turn right. Traffic flows much easier into the west gate lot that is behind both the first and third base sides of the stadium and you'll save lots of pre-game time in line by opting for it. Alas, if a small crowd is attending a game the auxiliary all-dirt parking lot behind the outfield that causes the back-up is not open and all arrivals proceed at a steady pace to the same place.
Stadium Information
Camelback Ranch, which was built for $100 million, became the largest spring training stadium to ever open on either coast when it debuted on March 1, 2009. Capable of holding 13,596 fans, it is one of the few recent new ballparks not to be built by HOK Sport (now called Populous). The honor instead went to HKS Architects of Dallas. They designed the ballpark so that its main entrance is in center field. A two-acre lake and numerous walking trails made of decomposed granite were incorporated into the 141 acres of property allotted for the complex, giving it the feel of a park. Interior walls made of stones and wire mesh give the stadium a natural desert look. The Dodgers left 61 years of tradition in Vero Beach behind, abandoning their famed Dodgertown complex for a two-team complex closer to their fan base. The White Sox signed on to be the second team while they were still obligated to fulfill a lease at Tucson Electric Park that ran through the 2012 season. They were able to break that commitment by paying a $5 million buyout. Simply called Glendale Ballpark during much of its construction, on November 20, 2008 it was announced that the entire spring training complex would be called Camelback Ranch. The name was later slightly amended to Camelback Ranch-Glendale at the city's insistence.
Fast Facts
Practice Fields
Types of Seating
Stadium-style seats (plastic chairs with backs) make up all of the seating in the grandstand. Lawn seating accounts for the rest of the stadium's 13,000 person official capacity. The berm starts where the grandstand ends and goes all the way around the outfield.
Notes about the seating
Sections and rows
Rows for stadium sections range as follows:
Tickets
Seats to avoid
There aren't many. The ballpark has great sightlines throughout but foot traffic on the cross aisle between all 100-level sections and the single or double digit numbered sections below them can be rather annoying to anyone sitting in the first row of sections 102-128. That's because Row 1 in each of those sections is raised only about two feet above the cross aisle, which is not high enough to prevent all passerbys from becoming inadvertent obstructions. So when buying tickets in the stadium's Baseline Reserved and Infield Box sections remember that Row 2 is actually better than the front row.
Seats in the shade
The Achilles’ heel of Camelback Ranch is that it was built facing the southeast. That orientation is the opposite of every other ballpark in Arizona. What that means in Glendale is that the sun is always beating down on you, instead of retreating behind the grandstand as the game progresses like it does at other Cactus League parks. So you definitely need sunscreen. If you forget to bring some, mini SPF 30 bottles are sold in the gift shops. Although almost no seats are in the shade, there are a smattering that are. At the usual 1:05 p.m. game starting time consider yourself lucky to be in the last few rows of sections beneath the press box and upper level party deck. Specifically, rows 16 & up in sections 110-113 and rows 20 & up in sections 114-117. Additionally, the last two rows (21-22) in sections 119, 120 and 122, which are beneath the stadium's suites, are shaded throughout the game. By 2:30, more seats in sections 110-115 enjoy shade and by 3:00 all seats in sections 111-114 are shaded. If you really want to be out of the sun, join the throng standing on the concourse above sections 110-122, where cover is provided by the press box and suites.
VIP seating
The stadium has a dozen suites, a suite-level party deck, and party patios above each bullpen. And then there's the 198-seat Home Plate Club section, which made news during Camelback Ranch’s inaugural season for their $90 price tag, the highest in all of spring training. In 2010, the price per Home Plate Box seat was slashed in half and their main perk - access to a complimentary buffet that was behind section 115 on the concourse – was eliminated, along with the complimentary water and sunscreen that were a part of the VIP package. Now, besides their closeness to the field, the main perk for Home Plate Box seats is cup holders, as no other section of seats in the 10,000-seat grandstand has them.
Game Day
Gates open 95 minutes before game time, which is 11:30 a.m. for the typical 1:05 p.m. start.
Food, drink and bag policy
Getting autographs
Players from the Dodgers and White Sox make this an autograph-friendly facility. Numerous players from each team take time to sign before and after games down the outfield lines, between their respective dugouts and the end of the grandstand. But for a true autograph buffet, get to the Ranch early (like around 10:30 a.m.) and head to its practice fields. Regardless of whether they play at home that day, Dodgers players galore sign for fans on their side of the complex, where only a thin yellow rope separates fans from the paths the players trod. The White Sox don't allow the same unencumbered access the Dodgers do, but still sign plenty of autographs in the area where their fans are fenced in. For both teams, the place to congregate is between practice fields 1 and 2.
Unique ballpark fare
Not as good as it could be, but there are plenty of concession stands and carts on the concourse that encircles the ballpark. The standard fare is joined by pastrami sandwiches, sonoran chicken, three types of sausages (Italian, Polish and the Brat) and smoked BBQ. The Dodger Dog made its debut in 2010, and the Vienna Beef Chicago Dog has been available since day one. Soft drinks are from the Coca-Cola family and lemonade is in ready supply. Hot days and cold beer go hand in hand and there are plenty of both here. Among the choices on tap are Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen, Sam Adams Lager and the big three light beer brands (Bud, Coors, Miller).
2012 Dodgers Spring Training Schedule(only home games at Camelback Ranch are listed) |
||||
| March | Day | Time | Visiting Team | TicketsNow |
| 6 | Tuesday | 1:05 | Giants | Tickets |
| 8 | Thursday | 1:05 | A's | Tickets |
| 11 | Sunday | 1:05 | Cubs | Tickets |
| 13 | Tuesday | 1:05 | Rockies | Tickets |
| 15 | Thursday | 1:05 | Royals | Tickets |
| 16 | Friday | 1:05 | Rangers | Tickets |
| 17 | Saturday | 7:05 | Giants | Tickets |
| 18 | Sunday | 1:05 | Angels | Tickets |
| 20 | Tuesday | 1:05 | Brewers | Tickets |
| 21 | Wednesday | 1:05 | Padres | Tickets |
| 24 | Saturday | 1:05 | Indians | Tickets |
| 26 | Monday | 1:05 | White Sox | Tickets |
| 29 | Thursday | 1:05 | White Sox | Tickets |
| 30 | Friday | 1:05 | Brewers | Tickets |
| April | Day | Time | Visiting Team | TicketsNow |
| 1 | Sunday | 1:05 | Diamondbacks | Tickets |
* Single game tickets go on sale Friday, January 6.  See the full 2012 Dodgers Spring Training schedule |
||||
2012 White Sox Spring Training Schedule(only home games at Camelback Ranch are listed) |
||||
| March | Day | Time | Visiting Team | TicketsNow |
| 5 | Monday | 1:05 | Dodgers | Tickets |
| 7 | Wednesday | 1:05 | Brewers | Tickets |
| 9 | Friday | 1:05 | Cubs | Tickets |
| 10 | Saturday | 1:05 | Rangers | Tickets |
| 10 | Saturday | 7:05 | Dodgers | Tickets |
| 12 | Monday | 1:05 | A's | Tickets |
| 14 | Wednesday | 1:05 | Angels | Tickets |
| 17 | Saturday | 1:05 | Mariners | Tickets |
| 19 | Monday | 1:05 | Reds | Tickets |
| 22 | Thursday | 1:05 | Royals | Tickets |
| 23 | Friday | 7:05 | Diamondbacks | Tickets |
| 25 | Sunday | 1:05 | Giants | Tickets |
| 27 | Tuesday | 1:05 | Indians | Tickets |
| 28 | Wednesday | 1:05 | Padres | Tickets |
| 31 | Saturday | 1:05 | Rockies | Tickets |
| April | Day | Time | Visiting Team | TicketsNow |
| 2 | Monday | 12:05 | Brewers | Tickets |
* Single game tickets go on sale Friday, January 6. See the full 2012 White Sox Spring Training schedule |
||||
Ballpark Area Info
Glendale is just 10 miles northwest of Phoenix and is an up-and-coming suburb if there ever was one. With a population now nearing 250,000 residents, Glendale has positioned itself as a major player in the world of sports thanks to University of Phoenix Stadium, which hosted the 2008 Super Bowl and is home to the NFL's Arizona Cardinals and the Fiesta Bowl. The futuristic looking stadium is visible from Camelback Ranch and is just a few miles away on the other side of Loop 101. Hockey's Phoenix Coyotes play at Jobing.com Arena next to the football stadium. The arena anchors the Westgate City Center, the area's impressive shopping, dining and entertainment district.
Travelers' notes
 Hotels close to Camelback Ranch |
 Become a featured advertiser |
|||
| Distance | Hotel | Street Address | City/Zip | Phone |
| 3.1 miles | Hampton Inn & Suites | 6630 N 95th Ave | Glendale, AZ 85305 | 623-271-7771 |
| 3.6 | Holiday Inn Express | 9310 W Cabela Dr | Glendale, AZ 85305 | 623-939-8888 |
| 4.3 | Comfort Suites | 8421 W McDowell Rd | Tolleson, AZ 85353 | 623-936-6000 |
| 4.4 | Econo Lodge | 1520 N 84th Dr | Tolleson, AZ 85353 | 623-936-4667 |
| 4.6 | Legacy Suites | 8225 W McDowell Rd | Phoenix, AZ 85035 | 602-374-6100 |
| 4.7 | Courtyard by Marriott | 1650 N 95th Lane | Phoenix, AZ 85037 | 623-271-7660 |
 List your hotel |
||||
 Restaurants close to Camelback Ranch |
||||
| Distance | Restaurant | Street Address | City/Zip | Phone |
| 1.4 miles | Subway | 10685 W Indian School Rd | Avondale, AZ 85392 | 623-772-5701 |
| 1.4 | Pizza Hut | 10685 W Indian School Rd | Avondale, AZ 85392 | 623-772-1553 |
| 1.4 | Taco Bell | 10711 W Indian School Rd | Avondale, AZ 85392 | 623-877-1111 |
| 1.4 | Wong's Chinese Cuisine | 10540 W Indian School Rd | Phoenix, AZ 85037 | 623-877-4123 |
| 1.4 | Ramiro's Mexican Food | 10720 W Indian School Rd | Phoenix, AZ 85037 | 623-877-8407 |
| 1.4 | Brothers Pizza | 10720 W Indian School Rd | Phoenix, AZ 85037 | 623-877-3660 |
| 1.4 | Taco Sabroso | 10665 W Indian School Rd | Avondale, AZ 85392 | 623-877-2748 |
| 1.4 | Dragon Garden Chinese | 10665 W Indian School Rd | Avondale, AZ 85392 | 623-872-7866 |
| 1.4 | KFC | 10655 W Indian School Rd | Avondale, AZ 85392 | 623-877-5268 |
| 1.4 | Burger King | 9680 W Camelback Rd | Glendale, AZ 85305 | 623-877-2478 |
| 1.4 | McDonald's | 3925 N 107th Ave | Avondale, AZ 85392 | 623-877-6011 |
| List your restaurant or bar |
||||
 Airports close to Camelback Ranch |
||||
| Distance | Airport | Airport Code | ||
| 15.4 miles | Phoenix Sky Harbor International | PHX | ||
| 124 | Tucson International | TUS | ||
| 146 | Yuma International | YUM | ||
Contact Us With Any Questions About Dodgers or White Sox Spring Training