San Diego

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Location ofSan Diego in theUnited States

Sports in San Diego and itssurrounding metropolitan area includesmajor professional league teams, otherhighest-level professional league teams,minor league teams, andcollege athletics.San Diego hosts two major professional league teams, theSan Diego Padres ofMajor League Baseball (MLB) andSan Diego FC ofMajor League Soccer (MLS).^[1] The area is home to several universities whose teams compete in theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), most notably theSan Diego State Aztecs. TheFarmers Insurance Open, a professional golf tournament on thePGA Tour, is played annually atTorrey Pines Golf Course.

San Diego hosted theNational Football League (NFL)'sSan Diego Chargers from 1961 to 2017, when the team relocated to theGreater Los Angeles area (now theLos Angeles Chargers). The city also hosted theNational Basketball Association (NBA)'sSan Diego Rockets from 1967 to 1971 (now theHouston Rockets) andSan Diego Clippers from 1978 to 1984 (now theLos Angeles Clippers), and the now-defunctAmerican Basketball Association (ABA)'sSan Diego Conquistadors/Sails from 1972 to 1975, prior to the 1976ABA–NBA merger. San Diego has never hosted aNational Hockey League (NHL) franchise, though it hosted theSan Diego Mariners of the now-defunctWorld Hockey Association (WHA) from 1974 to 1977, prior to the 1979NHL-WHA merger.

Currently, there is no NBA, NFL, or NHL team in the San Diego metropolitan area. San Diego is the largest American city not to have won a championship in a "Big Four"^[a] major professional league. The city does have one major league title: the1963 American Football League (AFL) Championship won by the San Diego Chargers, when the AFL was an independent entity prior to theAFL–NFL merger in 1970. Due to its lackluster record on winning professional championships, and in some cases retaining professional teams, some San Diego sports fans believe there isa curse on professional sports in the city.^[2]

The following teams compete in amajor professional league.

The following teams compete in ahighest-level professional league.

The following teams compete in aminor league.

The following teams compete in theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Club	Base­ball	Basket­ball		Cross country		Fencing		Foot­ball	Golf		Lacrosse		Rowing		Soccer		Soft­ball	Swimming & diving		Tennis		Track & field		Volley­ball		Water Polo
	M	M	W	M	W	M	W	M	M	W	M	W	M	W	M	W	W	M	W	M	W	M	W	M	W	M	W
San Diego State Aztecs	Y	Y	Y		Y			Y (FBS)	Y	Y		Y			Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y		Y		Y		Y
San Diego Toreros	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y			Y (FCS)	Y				Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y		Y[o]		Y
UC San Diego Tritons	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y				Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

Club	Baseball	Basketball		Cross country		Golf		Soccer		Softball	Tennis		Track & field		Volleyball
	M	M	W	M	W	M	W	M	W	W	M	W	M	W	M	W
Cal State San Marcos Cougars	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y			Y	Y		Y
Point Loma Sea Lions	Y	Y	Y		Y		Y	Y	Y		Y	Y		Y		Y

The following events occur annually in the San Diego metropolitan area.

The following venues host professional and/orNCAA Division I teams and have a minimum capacity of 5000.

TheSan Diego Padres ofMajor League Baseball (MLB) play atPetco Park, the team's home since it opened in 2004 indowntown San Diego'sEast Village. Prior to the opening of Petco Park in 2004, the Padres played their home games atSan Diego Stadium inMission Valley.

The Padres joined MLB in 1969 as anexpansion team. The team originated as aMinor League Baseball (MiLB) team in thePacific Coast League (PCL), where they played from 1936 through 1968 before joining Major League Baseball. As a PCL team, the Padres were based atLane Field (now the site of theInterContinental Hotel San Diego) in downtown'sColumbia neighborhood from 1936 through 1957, andWestgate Park in Mission Valley (now the site ofFashion Valley Mall) from 1958 through 1967. Their final season as a minor league team, 1968, was also their first at San Diego Stadium.

San Diego has hosted theMLB All-Star Game three times:1978 and1992 at San Diego Stadium, and2016 at Petco Park. The 2016 edition was the final All-Star game to determinehome field advantage in the World Series.

Petco Park has hosted theWorld Baseball Classic three times:2006, the inaugural tournament (for which San Diego hosted the championship),2009, and2017.

Additionally popular are the local college baseball teams, particularlyNCAA Division I'sSan Diego State Aztecs,San Diego Toreros, andUC San Diego Tritons. The Aztecs, Toreros, and Tritons play home games at their own on-campus venues,Tony Gwynn Stadium,Fowler Park, andTriton Ballpark, respectively.

MLB All-Star Games

The most popularbasketball team in San Diego currently is theSan Diego State Aztecs ofNCAA Division I, who play at their on-campusViejas Arena. TheSan Diego Toreros andUC San Diego Tritons, also play within NCAA Division I. The Toreros and Tritons teams play home games at their own on-campus arenas, theJenny Craig Pavilion andLionTree Arena, respectively.

San Diego has no current professional basketball representation, but the city has a significant history hosting professional basketball, nearly all encompassed within an 18-year period from 1967 to 1984.

TheSan Diego Rockets, aNational Basketball Association (NBA)expansion team, played from 1967 to 1971. The franchise was founded and owned by local sports boosterRobert Breitbard, who also founded and owned the originalSan Diego Gulls hockey franchise of theWestern Hockey League and developed theSan Diego Sports Arena (initially known as the San Diego International Sports Center), where the Rockets played. In 1971, the Rockets were sold and relocated toHouston after Breitbard encountered financial distress due to tax-assessment issues surrounding the sports arena, which ultimately prevented sale of the team to another local owner. The tax issues also led to Breitbard relinquishing control of the arena to Canadian millionaire Peter Graham, whose alleged mismanagement of the arena hampered future sports tenants. The franchise is now known as theHouston Rockets.

The1971 NBA All-Star Game was held at the San Diego Sports Arena, hosted by the Rockets just months prior to the team's sale and relocation.

During the1971–72 NBA season, San Diego was the part-time home of theGolden State Warriors for six home games (one each month of the season). The Warriors notably changed their name from "San Francisco" to "Golden State" prior to the season as the team was searching for a new home arena and looked to make a play for the San Diego market (as well asOakland) following the departure of the Rockets to Houston. The team ultimately stayed in theSan Francisco Bay Area, settling full time in Oakland atOakland Arena the following season.

From 1972 to 1975, San Diego was home to theSan Diego Conquistadors of theAmerican Basketball Association (ABA), the league's first (and ultimately only) expansion team. Known as the Conquistadors (a.k.a. "The Q's") for its first three seasons, the team name was changed to the San Diego Sails following a change in ownership for the1975–76 season. The franchise was folded 11 games into that season after ownership learned that the team was to be shut out of the upcomingABA–NBA merger, reportedly at the insistence of then-Los Angeles Lakers ownerJack Kent Cooke. Cooke was upset that the San Diego franchise had signed former Lakers starWilt Chamberlain away from his franchise two years prior (Lakers ownership successfully sued Chamberlain over the contract, ultimately preventing Chamberlain from playing with the Conquistadors, relegating him to coaching duties) and also expressed unwillingness of allowing another team inSouthern California.^[17] The Conquistadors/Sails played atPeterson Gymnasium for the1972–73 season andGolden Hall for the1973–74 season before ownership was permitted to base the team at the San Diego Sports Arena, where it played the remainder of its games.

Professional basketball returned from 1978 to 1984, in the form of the NBA'sSan Diego Clippers, the relocated successor to theBuffalo Braves franchise. The team was based at the San Diego Sports Arena. In 1981, the Clippers were bought by Los Angeles-area real estate developerDonald Sterling. Sterling attempted to move the team the following year in 1982 to his home of Los Angeles, but his request was denied by the NBA, which investigated Sterling's alleged widespread mismanagement of the franchise the same year. The investigation report recommended the termination of Sterling's ownership of the Clippers on the basis that he had failed to pay creditors and players on time. Days before a scheduled vote to terminate his ownership, he announced he would sell the team, prompting the league to cancel the scheduled vote. Sterling ultimately remained owner, satisfying league officials by instead relinquishing operational duties of the franchise. In 1984, Sterling again applied to relocate the team to Los Angeles, and despite again being denied permission to do so from the NBA, moved the team toLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. Lawsuits followed, but Sterling ultimately prevailed and was able to keep the team in Los Angeles, also in part due to his close personal friendship with then-Lakers ownerJerry Buss, who welcomed sharing the Los Angeles market with Sterling's franchise.^[18] The franchise is now known as theLos Angeles Clippers. San Diego has not hosted major professional basketball since.

On March 11, 2024, it was announced that theNBA G League minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Clippers, the Ontario Clippers, would be relocating to theSan Diego area city ofOceanside's newly constructedFrontwave Arena ahead of the2024–25 season and rebranding as theSan Diego Clippers, using its NBA affiliate's former identity from 1978 to 1984.^[19]

NBA All-Star Game

The most popularAmerican football team in San Diego currently is theSan Diego State Aztecs football team ofNCAA Division I (FBS). The Aztecs moved into their newSnapdragon Stadium upon its completion in August 2022. TheSan Diego Toreros football team of NCAA Division IFCS also has a local following. The Toreros are based at their on-campus stadium,Torero Stadium.

San Diego is also home to theSan Diego Strike Force of theIndoor Football League (IFL), the highest level of professionalIndoor American football. The Strike Force began play in 2019.

The city does not currently host aNational Football League (NFL) team, though it previously hosted theSan Diego Chargers, who were based in San Diego from 1961 through the 2016 season. The Chargers began play in 1960 as a charter member of theAmerican Football League (AFL), and spent its first season in Los Angeles where it struggled to garner a following before moving to San Diego in 1961.^[20] The Chargers joined the NFL as result of theAFL–NFL merger in 1970, and played their home games initially atBalboa Stadium, then atSan Diego Stadium from 1967 until relocating toLos Angeles in 2017. The team moved to Los Angeles following a request by ownerDean Spanos to relocate the team toSoFi Stadium, a new stadium constructed byLos Angeles Rams ownerStan Kroenke, where the Chargers would be a tenant and share the new stadium with the Rams. They are now known as theLos Angeles Chargers. The Chargers' relocation left San Diego without a professional football team for the first time since 1961.^[21]

San Diego hosted theSuper Bowl three times atSan Diego Stadium during the Chargers' tenure in the city. The city does have one major league title to its name: the1963 American Football League (AFL) Championship won by the formerSan Diego Chargers, when the AFL was an independent entity prior to theAFL–NFL merger in 1970.

On May 29, 2018, theAlliance of American Football (AAF) announced they would start a franchise in San Diego, theSan Diego Fleet. The team played their home games at SDCCU Stadium, while San Diego native and formerSt. Louis Rams head coachMike Martz was the head coach. The league suspended operations before it could complete its inaugural season.

Super Bowls (NFL)

San Diego has never hosted aNational Hockey League (NHL) team, though the city is represented by theSan Diego Gulls of theAmerican Hockey League, the highest level ofminor league ice hockey. The current version of the Gulls, which began play in 2015 after relocating fromNorfolk, Virginia, plays atPechanga Arena and following a long lineage of professional ice hockey teams which have used the San Diego Gulls name. Theoriginal San Diego Gulls, which played from 1966 until 1974, were the first tenants at theSan Diego Sports Arena.

San Diego's history ofminor leagueice hockey teams began with theSan Diego Skyhawks of thePacific Coast Hockey League, who played from 1948 to 1950, hosting home games atGlacier Gardens. A second iteration of the Skyhawks played in theCalifornia Hockey League (1957–1963) from 1960 to 1962, also at Glacier Gardens. Hockey returned in 1966 with theoriginal San Diego Gulls of theWestern Hockey League, which were created byRobert Breitbard to have a tenant for his upcoming arena, theSan Diego Sports Arena.^[22] The Gulls soon grew a fanbase in San Diego, with averages of over 9,000 spectators. By 1971, the year Breitbard'sNational Basketball Association franchise relocated to Texas to become theHouston Rockets, the Gulls had attendances larger than both the Rockets and the CalifornianNational Hockey League (NHL) teams, theLos Angeles Kings andOakland Seals.^[23]

The Gulls ceased operations in 1974 to give way for the relocatedSan Diego Mariners of the upstartWorld Hockey Association (WHA), which at the time was the NHL's rival league. The Mariners relocated to San Diego after spending their first two seasons of operation inNew York City andNew Jersey. The WHA's financial instability caused the Mariners to fold upon the failed NHL-WHA merger of 1977. Two years later, the successfulNHL-WHA merger of 1979 occurred, with four WHA franchises being accepted into the NHL. The Mariners were one of several teams to fold in 1977 after the NHL indicated it planned to only take four teams instead of six in absorbing the WHA.

Another Mariners team was one of the charter teams of the short-livedPacific Hockey League that began play the same year the previous Mariners team folded, being renamedHawks in the following and last PHL season. The arena remained without hockey until 1990, when anotherSan Diego Gulls team was founded in theInternational Hockey League (1990–95). After the IHL teammoved to Los Angeles, anotherGulls team played for over a decade in both theWest Coast Hockey League (1995–03) andECHL (2003–06). The currentSan Diego Gulls, of theAmerican Hockey League, started playing in 2015, and are the top minor league affiliate of the NHL'sAnaheim Ducks.^[22]

San Diego was involved when the NHL expanded in the early 1990s from 22 teams to 26. Following the December 1989 announcement by the NHL of its intent to expand the league, 11 bids from 10 cities (two from San Diego) were submitted for an NHL expansion franchise.^[24] The two separate bids for a San Diego franchise included one by local entrepreneurs Harry Cooper and Richard Esquinas (lease-holders of the San Diego Sports Arena), and one byLos Angeles Lakers ownerJerry Buss. Neither bid advanced with any serious traction. Cooper and Esquinas's bid relied on a future new arena that their group would plan to build, but only if they were awarded an expansion team first. Buss's bid meanwhile quickly shifted focus toAnaheim instead. Cooper and Esquinas's bid ultimately gave way to a new proposal by local developer Ron Hahn, who made a similar commitment to build a new arena, but only if an NHL or NBA franchise was secured first.^[25] In 1993, the NHL awarded a team toThe Walt Disney Company in Anaheim, to be known as theMighty Ducks of Anaheim (now Anaheim Ducks). In contrast to the efforts in San Diego, Anaheim chose to build a new arena without commitments from any franchise, and were subsequently awarded a team.^[26]

At the college level, there are currently ice hockey teams at the club level of each of the major universities and in the area, thoughNCAA ice hockey has no presence west ofColorado (excludingAlaska) withArizona State Sun Devils men's ice hockey, which began play in 2015 and competes as anNCAA Division I independent, being the only exception.

San Diego has previously hosted anNCAA Division I ice hockey program, theUnited States International Gulls men's ice hockey team ofUnited States International University (USIU), which competed for nine years from 1979 until 1988. The USIU Gulls had some success on the ice and were notable for producing two futureNHL players and being the onlyNCAA hockey team west ofthe Rockies when founded. The team co-founded the short-livedGreat West Hockey Conference (GWHC) withAlaska–Anchorage,Alaska–Fairbanks andNorthern Arizona in 1985. USIU folded its hockey team and subsequently the entire varsity sports program due to financial strain and ultimate bankruptcy. In 2001, the university underwent a merger with theCalifornia School of Professional Psychology and reorganization, to formAlliant International University. Alliant had a small sports program for a few years before intercollegiate sports were phased out entirely in 2007.

On September 29, 2023, San Diego hosted an exhibition matchup atPechanga Arena between theAnaheim Ducks andLos Angeles Kings, the first NHL hockey game played in San Diego since a previous exhibition game in 1994. The Kings won the game 4–3 in front of 11,044 fans.^[27]

San Diego FC is aMajor League Soccer (MLS) team that began play in 2025. San Diego is also currently represented in the lower divisions of theUnited States soccer league system byAlbion San Diego SC of theNational Independent Soccer Association (one of three leagues occupying the second-highest level of minor league soccer). Despite not hosting an MLS team at the time, San Diego did host the1999 MLS All-Star Game atQualcomm Stadium.

In 2022, the city became the home toSan Diego Wave FC, a newexpansion team of theNational Women's Soccer League (NWSL), slated to play its home games atTorero Stadium before moving to its permanent home ofSnapdragon Stadium upon the venue's completion in September 2022.^[28] Wave FC's first home game at Snapdragon Stadium, against regional rival and fellow 2022 NWSL entryAngel City FC, drew a league-record sellout crowd of 32,000.

On May 18, 2023, MLS announced that it would expand to San Diego, adding the city as the league's 30th team.^[1] The team, namedSan Diego FC, is set to begin play in 2025 at Snapdragon Stadium with an ownership group headlined by Egyptian businessmanMohamed Mansour and theSycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation.

The city also hosts theSan Diego Sockers of theMajor Arena Soccer League (MASL), the highest level of professionalindoor soccer. The current version of the Sockers follows a lineage of other professional soccer teams which have used the San Diego Sockers name.

The originalNorth American Soccer League (NASL) included a San Diego franchise known as theoriginal San Diego Sockers. The originalSockers indoor franchise also played in the NASL indoor league,Major Indoor Soccer League,Continental Indoor Soccer League,World Indoor Soccer League and secondMajor Indoor Soccer League.

At the collegiate level, the city boasts both men's and women's varsity teams at each of the threeNCAA Division I schools in the city. TheSan Diego State Aztecs men's andwomen's soccer teams play at the on-campusSDSU Sports Deck, theSan Diego Toreros men's and women's teams play atTorero Stadium, and theUC San Diego Tritons men's and women's teams play at Triton Soccer Stadium.

With the expansion of the minor professional leagueNational Premier Soccer League, theSan Diego Flash saw the addition of theNorth County Battalion andAlbion SC Pros. TheSan Diego SeaLions play in theWomen's Premier Soccer League, and theSan Diego Zest play in the USLPremier Development League with theSoCal Surf. San Diego Internacional FC began playing in theUPSL in 2019.^[29]

On June 25, 2017, it was announced thatSan Diego 1904 FC would join theNorth American Soccer League in 2018. The club's founders include professional soccer playersDemba Ba,Eden Hazard,Yohan Cabaye andMoussa Sow.^[30][31] In 2021 the club was purchased and becameAlbion San Diego SC.

On June 19, 2019, it was announced thatLandon Donovan would be bringing a newUSL Championship team to San Diego. The club,San Diego Loyal SC, began play during the 2020 USL Championship season.^[32] However, the team folded in October 2023.

ThePGA Tour's annualFarmers Insurance Open (originally the San Diego Open and later the Buick Invitational) golf tournament occurs atTorrey Pines Golf Course, which has hosted the tournament since 1968. The event was founded in 1952 atSan Diego Country Club inChula Vista.^[33] The tournament was founded in 1952 and was played at a variety of venues in the San Diego area in its early years, beginning withSan Diego Country Club inChula Vista for its first two years. The tournament was also played inRancho Santa Fe andEl Cajon, as well as locally inMission Valley andRancho Bernardo during these years. The course was the site of the2008 and2021 U.S. Open.

TheLPGA Tour'sJTBC Classic is held annually at the Aviara Golf Club in nearbyCarlsbad, which has hosted the event since 2012 after the event's relocation fromLos Angeles County.

At the college level, the city is home to theNCAA Division ISan Diego State Aztecs men's andwomen's golf teams,San Diego Toreros men's golf team, and theUC San Diego Tritons men's and women's teams.

The San Diego region is home to 72 golf courses in total.^[34]

On August 30, 2017, theNational Lacrosse League (NLL), the world's topbox lacrosse league, awarded an expansion franchise to the city of San Diego and ownerJoseph Tsai. On October 24, the NLL and San Diego owners unveiled theSan Diego Seals identity. Also revealed were the colors, purple, gold, gray, and black, and the team logo. The team began play in December 2018 atPechanga Arena and earned the second overall playoff seed in the West Division after a successful 10–8 regular season. Home game attendance during the inaugural season averaged 7,769 fans per contest.

In 2024, thePremier Lacrosse League (PLL), the highest level professionalfield lacrosse league, transitioned to having teams based in home markets after playing its first five seasons with all nomadic teams in a touring-only model. TheCalifornia Redwoods, a charter member of the league which played its first five seasons known as Redwoods Lacrosse Club, were announced to be making San Diego their home in 2024.

San Diego hosted the2023 World Lacrosse Championship.^[35] The newly constructedSnapdragon Stadium was the event's primary venue, withTorero Stadium and other fields at bothSan Diego State University and theUniversity of San Diego also used for tournament play.

The city is also currently home to theNCAA Division ISan Diego State Aztecs women's lacrosse team.

TheSan Diego Legion ofMajor League Rugby (MLR), the highest level ofrugby in the United States, are based in the city atSnapdragon Stadium. The team moved for the2023 season after previously playing at bothTorero Stadium and theSDSU Sports Deck.^[36] The Legion began play in 2018 as one of the league's seven founding franchises.

In women's rugby, theSan Diego Surfers have competed in the 10-teamWomen's Premier League (WPL), the highest level of domestic women's rugby union, since 2011. Initially founded in 1975 as an amateur team, the club has won the WPL national title twice, in 2016 and 2018, in addition to four national championships inUSA Rugby Club 7s.

An array of clubs, ranging frommen's and women's clubs tocollegiate andhigh school clubs, are part of theSouthern California Rugby Football Union.^[37] TheUnited States national rugby sevens team train at theUnited States Olympic Training Center inChula Vista,San Diego. Additionally, theUSA Sevens, an event in the annualWorld Rugby Sevens Series for international teams inrugby sevens, was held inPetco Park from 2007 through 2009 before moving to Las Vegas for 2010 and back toLos Angeles more recently.

TheSan Diego Breakers, who played in the only season ofPRO Rugby (2016) before the league folded, likewise played at Torero Stadium. TheUSA Sevens, a major international rugby event, was also held at the same stadium from 2007 through 2009. San Diego is also represented byOld Mission Beach Athletic Club RFC,^[38] the former home club ofUSA Rugby's former CaptainTodd Clever.^[39] San Diego participated in theWestern American National Rugby League between 2011 and 2013.^[40]

San Diego Yacht Club is ayacht club located inSan Diego Bay. The club is one of the oldest in the United States, founded in 1886. It is located inPoint Loma across from a spit of land known asShelter Island. San Diego Yacht Club won theAmerica's Cup in1987,1988, and1992, hosting the event in 1988, 1992, and1995. The club boasts one of the largest and oldest junior sailing programs in the country.

TheSan Diego Open is aWTA 500 tournament held at the Barnes Tennis Centre. In August 2021, after the cancellation of the Asia Swing due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the Barnes Tennis Centre San Diego was allocated a two-year ATP 250 tournament license.

TheSan Diego Aviators ofWorld TeamTennis (WTT) moved to San Diego fromNew York City prior to the start of the2014 season. They were founded in 1995 and formerly known as theNew York Sportimes. The Aviators played their2014 home matches at the indoorValley View Casino Center. In2015, they moved toOmni La Costa Resort and Spa inCarlsbad. In their first three seasons in San Diego, they finished with the league's top regular-season record twice (2014 and2016), and won the King Trophy as2016 WTT champions. The WTT went on hiatus after cancelling the 2022 season.

San Diego has had two previous WTT franchises. TheSan Diego Friars were a WTT expansion franchise that began play in 1975. They used the San Diego Sports Arena (now Pechanga Arena) as their primary home venue but played some home matches at theAnaheim Convention Center between 1975 and 1977, beforeAnaheim got its own team in 1978. After missing the playoffs their first two seasons, the Friars qualified in 1977 and 1978, and were the 1978 Western Division champions, but lost in the quarterfinals. The team folded after the 1978 season.International Tennis Hall of FamersRod Laver andDennis Ralston played for the Friars.

In 1981, the Friars returned as an expansion franchise as WTT resumed operations rebranded as TeamTennis after a hiatus. After three seasons as the Friars, the team was renamed theSan Diego Buds before the 1984 season. The Buds won both the 1984 and 1985 TeamTennis championships but folded following the 1985 season. Hall of FamerRosie Casals was the Friars player-coach in 1983.

At the collegiate level,San Diego State University,University of San Diego, andUC San Diego each support both men's and women'sNCAA Division I tennis teams.

ThePro Volleyball Federation (PVF), the highest level of women's professional volleyball, announced a San Diego team in 2023 (ultimately named theSan Diego Mojo) as one of the league's charter members, began play within the league's first season in 2024.USA Volleyball starKerri Walsh Jennings was announced as the new team's lead owner.^[41] In June 2023, former olympianTayyiba Haneef-Park was named the team's first head coach.^[42]

In 2022, San Diego received an expansion team in theNational Volleyball Association (NVA), the highest level of men's professional volleyball, which would begin play in the 2023 NVA season. The team, which became known as the San Diego Wild, reached the 2023 NVA Championship Cup Finals in its first season, ultimately finishing runner-up after falling to the Orange County Stunners 3–0 on July 30, 2023.

San Diego is represented at the highest professional level of men'sultimate in theUltimate Frisbee Association (UFA) by theSan Diego Growlers. The team began play in 2015. The UFA (formerly the AUDL) officially announced the Growlers as an expansion team in October 2014.

A women's highest-level team in theWestern Ultimate League (WUL), theSan Diego Super Bloom, was launched in 2020 as one of the league's founding franchises, formerly known as the San Diego Wolfpack. The team competes as a member of the Southwest Division of the league.

TheSan Diego Surf Riders are a professionalTwenty20 cricket team that competes inMinor League Cricket (MiLC). The Surf Riders began play in the league's2021 season. The team's home ground is Canyonside Park, located in the community ofRancho Peñasquitos.

The Atlético Tlecoyotes de San Diego compete in theMesoamerican Ballgame Association USA, also known as AJUPEME USA, the main sports organization forUlama in the United States. The team became one of the first in the league in 2023.^[43] The region is becoming a center for the revival of theMesoamerican ball game as the team hosts Ulama events across the county.^[44] AJUPEME USA plays Ulama de Cadera, or hip ulama, meaning it plays the iteration of Ulama with hips.

• Sports in San Diego
• History of San Diego

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