Glendale, Arizona has changed a lot in the past two decades. What was once home to farmers and miles of citrus trees and cotton fields has slowly become one of the main sports hubs in the Phoenix area. There are a variety of sports that call Glendale home. All year long you can catch a game somewhere in the Glendale area.
Nestled in the Westgate Entertainment District there are two major sports teams: the National Football League’s Arizona Cardinals and the National Hockey League’s Arizona Coyotes.
The Arizona Coyotes have been playing hockey in the desert for the past two decades. The Coyotes originally played in Downtown Phoenix when they first moved to the valley from Winnipeg, Canada. In 2003 the Coyotes made Glendale their new home. The Arizona Coyotes play from October to April. Get into the hockey spirit by visiting Westgate on Saturdays (and occasionally Sundays) when there is a Coyotes home game and join the fun at the Plaza Party! Hosted just outside of Gila River Arena before puck drop, the Plaza Party is fun entertainment for the whole family. Along with the Plaza Party, every Saturday during the 2018-2019 season is Kachina night. The Coyotes rock their old school logo as they take the ice. The Arizona Coyotes also installed a new state of the art HD video board this season. The new HD video board is 42 feet long and 24 feet high! Get ready to have a howling good time at an upcoming Arizona Coyotes Game.
In the fall you can catch the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium, formerly known as University of Phoenix Stadium. The party starts before the game at a variety of pregame parties hosted by the team. You get all the information regarding pregame fun and game day bag policies here: https://www.azcardinals.com/stadium/experience-game-day. State Farm Stadium also hosts many other events such as concerts, graduations, Super Bowls, College Bowl games, monster truck rallies, and NCAA Division College Basketball Championships. The stadium has even been known to host a Spartan Stadium Sprint a time or two, a chance for you to join the ranks of elite athletes and maybe even run through an NFL locker room! The Arizona Cardinals have a unique retractable roof and state of the art turf that can be rolled in and out of the stadium. Why wouldn’t you use all that wonderful Arizona sunshine to help grow the grass?
A few miles west of Westgate you can catch a Spring Training game at Camelback Ranch, Spring Training home of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox. Spring Training starts in February and ends in March, and both teams play there throughout that season. Lawn seats are a great way to take in the great weather and even get closer to some of your favorite baseball stars, with many of them signing autographs after the game. The fun does not have to end there; after both teams go into the regular season in their hometowns, Camelback Ranch also hosts Arizona Fall League which runs from October to November. While you’re there you can take a stroll around the facility and walk among the 5-acre river that runs near the ballparks.