Top Spots for Sports

Gilbert offers many opportunities for your team to get your game faces on at public parks and amateur sports facilities.

While a lake and a challenging ninja-inspired fitness obstacle course are highlights of Gilbert’s new Desert Sky Park, it’s the four lighted, college-sized multiuse fields—with plans for as many as 12 more—that get field-sport coordinators and athletes excited. Planners expect the fields to be used for everything from soccer and football to lacrosse and rugby, and from team practices to multiday tournaments.

Also new, Gilbert Regional Park is well on its way to becoming Gilbert’s largest park, at 272 acres once complete. Following in the footsteps of the initial development phase—which included three impressive playscapes incorporating a mountain of slides, a zip line, and a splash pad, to name just a few of the amenities—are recently completed pickleball courts (16 of them), two basketball courts, and six courts each for tennis and sand volleyball, as well as a 10-acre events lawn and a performance amphitheater.

One of Gilbert’s most notable sports complexes, Cactus Yards features eight scaled-down replicas of famous national baseball fields where all ages can play baseball, softball, kickball, and other field sports. Eight coin-operated batting cages provide a good warm-up, and playground equipment keeps young spectators entertained. The fields are a popular choice for tournaments year-round, and Cactus Yards also hosts indoor soccer leagues inside a 20,000-square-foot field house.

For play on the hardwood, look no further than Inspire Courts. This 52,000-square-foot facility holds seven basketball courts—five that are college-regulation courts—and seven regulation volleyball courts for year-round play. There is also a conference room and board room, a snack shop, open gym hours, and ample parking for teams and spectators.

If you’re looking for action on the ice, AZ Ice at Crossroads District Park has two rinks for on-skate training (including learn-to-skate, power skating, speed skating, and freestyle), adult and youth hockey league play, public skating, and event and group rink rentals.

Gilbert’s sports fun continues beyond the field, court, and rink. Whether you’re competitive to the core or just enjoy a light-hearted game with friends, bring your group to Topgolf. Large targets and a variety of levels of play make this a fun outing for everyone. Get involved in the community by registering for the Gilbert Half Marathon, taking place each November. In 2020, there will be an option to run the race virtually, and proceeds will be donated to Shun the Sun Foundation to build shade structures throughout Gilbert, allowing for even more opportunities to get outside all year long.

~Mikayla Balmaceda