Complete history of Brewers’ Spring Training home: American Family Fields of Phoenix

Spring Training 2026 is officially underway for the Milwaukee Brewers. Pitchers and catchers reported to American Family Fields of Phoenix down in Arizona on Wednesday and held their first official workout on Thursday. The first full-squad workout is set to take place on Tuesday, February 17, and Cactus League games begin for the Brewers on Saturday, February 21, with a matchup against the Cleveland Guardians.

Next Saturday's Cactus League opener is a home game, meaning the Brewers and Guardians will face off at the beautiful, renovated American Family Fields of Phoenix (AFFP). Arizona-based Brewers fans, and those who are making the trip down to Spring Training for some sunshine and baseball, will have the pleasure of watching the Crew kick off the spring exhibition season at their spring home in the Maryvale community in Phoenix.

However, for a while, AFFP went by a different name before American Family Insurance bought the naming rights to the Brewers' Spring Training home, two years before they also secured the naming rights to the team's home ballpark in Milwaukee. Let's take a look back at the history of American Family Fields of Phoenix and the Brewers' previous Spring Training homes.

History of Brewers' Spring Training home: American Family Fields of Phoenix

Before the Brewers came to occupy their current home in the Maryvale community, Milwaukee's Spring Training took place in Chandler, Arizona, at Compadre Stadium from 1986 to 1997. Prior to that, the Brewers' Spring Training took place at Sun City Stadium in Sun City, Arizona.

In the mid-90s, as Compadre Stadium was quickly becoming outdated in comparison to other Spring Training complexes that were popping up in Arizona, the Brewers requested money from the county to renovate the stadium, but when they were offered a lower number than they wanted, the organization made the decision to relocate to what was then known as Maryvale Baseball Park. According to Brewers.com, much of the land used to create the Brewers' new Spring Training home was donated by John and Mary Long, and that "Maryvale" is named after the latter.

For 20 years, the Brewers headed down to Maryvale Baseball Park, but in 2019 the complex underwent a major renovation and a simultaneous name change. Over the course of the 2018 season, Maryvale Baseball Park was under construction, and when February 2019 rolled around, the renovated home of the Brewers' Spring Training opened as American Family Fields of Phoenix.

According to a press release at the time, the Brewers invested $60 million into the renovation, the City of Phoenix invested $10 million, and Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority contributed $5.7 million. The result is the beautiful complex that the Brewers solely occupy -- not a guarantee in Spring Training as some teams share complexes.

Brewers and baseball fans in general who visit the complex frequently leave rave reviews about the team's Spring Training home, citing the row of monuments honoring Brewers legends and the fan-friendly layout of the ballpark as their favorite aspects. Players, meanwhile, enjoy the expansive, newly renovated clubhouse and state-of-the-art practice facilities, including practice fields that exactly mirror the dimensions of American Family Field in Milwaukee.

A trip down to Maryvale for a couple Spring Training games and a tour of the beautiful American Family Fields of Phoenix should be a bucket list item for any Brewers fan.