Donated Rate Bowl Field Transforms South Phoenix Campus

A piece of Arizona’s college football spotlight has found new life in Phoenix, where the 75,000+ square foot playing field from the 2025 Rate Bowl now serves students at C.O. Greenfield Academy of Design and Innovation in the Roosevelt School District. Donated by Fiesta Sports Foundation in partnership with BHHS Legacy Foundation, the field anchors a newly completed sports complex that also includes two multi-sport courts and a digital solar-powered scoreboard.

The project marks a milestone for Greenfield Academy, which has been without a dedicated athletics field since 2022, when the original campus was demolished and rebuilt on top of its former sports grounds. What remained was an open space filled with potential, but no clear timeline for development. That changed through Fiesta Sports Foundation’s ongoing commitment to repurpose the natural grass fields used at Chase Field for the Rate Bowl, bringing high-quality playing surfaces to schools and nonprofits across Arizona.

“As an organization that consistently invests in communities across Arizona, the Fiesta Sports Foundation is proud to pay it forward and provide a much-needed new sports field at C.O. Greenfield Academy,” Executive Director & CEO Erik Moses said. “The uniqueness of the Rate Bowl continues as the field used by some of college football’s most prominent programs and best players will now offer a safe play space that positively impacts young people.”

This donation represents the 11th field installation, continuing a tradition that has benefited communities in Phoenix, Avondale, Laveen, Glendale and Bullhead City. At Greenfield Academy, the impact is expected to be especially far-reaching. The centrally located complex sits between four Roosevelt School District campuses, including a Wellness Center, making it accessible not only to Greenfield’s nearly 500 students but also to approximately 400 students from nearby JFK Elementary School and Amy Houston Academy. In total, more than 7,000 students across the district are projected to benefit from the space.

“This is an investment in the future of our students and community,” said Roosevelt School District Superintendent Dr. Dani Portillo. “For our Greenfield students and neighboring schools, this new sports complex represents opportunity, wellness and pride. We are incredibly thankful to Fiesta Sports Foundation and BHHS Legacy Foundation for partnering with us to create a space where students can learn, grow, compete and build lasting memories.”

Following a dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting, the celebration continued with a football clinic hosted by Fiesta Sports Foundation, welcoming Greenfield students and the surrounding community onto the field for the first time. The event underscored the project’s mission: to create not just a place to play, but a space where young people can build confidence, develop skills and feel a sense of belonging.

“BHHS Legacy Foundation is proud to be a community funding partner in providing the new C.O. Greenfield Academy football field. This will be a safe place that children can now call their home field, to be used and enjoyed by students for years to come,” said Gerald Wissink, CEO of BHHS Legacy Foundation. “This important community project represents the sixth time that the Foundation has had the opportunity to serve as a funding partner with Fiesta Sports Foundation in the effective utilization of the Rate Bowl football field sod. The Legacy Foundation Board and staff are grateful to be part of this opportunity.”

With its roots in a major collegiate sporting event and its future firmly planted in the hands of students, the field stands as an example of how philanthropy, partnership and creative reuse can come together to make a lasting impact. For more behind this Frontdoor, visit fiestasportsfoundation.org or bhhslegacy.org.