Photos by Aaron S. Terry, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57
Findlay Toyota Center 3201 Main St Prescott Valley, AZ 86314
Year Opened: 2006
Capacity: 6,200
Turnaround City
The Northern Arizona Wranglers started playing indoor football just three seasons ago, the third indoor football franchise to play in Prescott Valley, Arizona. The Indoor Football League (IFL) Wranglers won just 1 game during the 2021 campaign, but amazingly, came back the following season to win 12 games, and then went on to win the 2022 IFL National Championship, stealing a 47-45 victory over Quad City.
The Wranglers home arena is Findlay Toyota Center, a multipurpose 6,200-seat venue that was previously home to hockey and NBA G League basketball, as well as hosting the two prior indoor football teams in the city. Despite its small size, the venue offers some pretty solid amenities for indoor football.
Food & Beverage 5
Findlay Toyota Center has a wide range of food and beverage options, and perhaps more important, offers most of them at very reasonable prices. Fans can choose from burgers, chicken tenders, pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs, corn dogs, pizza, fries, popcorn, pretzels, nachos, nuts (chocolate-covered, cinnamon-covered, or salted), Dippin’ Dots ice cream, kettle corn, cotton candy, funnel cake, churros, shaved ice, and packaged candy, with some items starting as low as $4.
Drink selections are just as varied, including coffee, cappuccino, hot cocoa, fresh-squeezed lemonade, Gatorade, energy drinks, bottled water, Pepsi products, and a range of alcoholic beverages from beer to hard seltzer to mixed drinks. Fans should plan to wander around the small concourse to check out all the options.
Atmosphere 3
The Northern Arizona Wranglers have a great PA announcer, a cool mascot, and an amazing dance team to keep fans entertained and engaged throughout the game. There is also a team store on site if you want to pick up any Wranglers gear, and plenty of fans tailgating in the parking lot before games.
The facility itself, however, is a bit lacking in some of the amenities you may be expecting based on visits to other professional venues – for example, the videoboards are quite small, and it can be hard to keep track of down and distance based on the static scoreboards as well. There aren’t any on-field games like you may see at other arenas, and the facility does not offer free Wi-Fi, which is odd for an arena that boasts mainly mobile ticketing.
On the plus size, all the seats have chairbacks, and there are several “deluxe” seating options, such as the floor-level club seating and the Bucky’s Casino suite level. Fans are also invited out to an after-party/coach’s show with the team at Buffalo Wild Wings following the game.
Neighborhood 3
Prescott Valley is in a small town about an hour north of Phoenix, but there is plenty of shopping right across the street from Findlay Toyota Center, and plenty of restaurants in the area, both fast food and otherwise. The town of Dewey-Humboldt, sort of a tourist destination thanks to the old west deco buildings along its tiny main street (even the Subway restaurant), is about 10-15 minutes south of Prescott Valley along Highway 69, and the Agua Fria National Monument (Native American petroglyphs and local wildlife) is not much further.
Fans 3
The Northern Arizona Wranglers have a really solid fan base, who are loud enough and engaged in the game, but there are just not that many of them in the stands, likely due to the small city they are pulling from. For such a small venue the empty seats are a bit noticeable.
Access 4
As long as you don’t mind the drive from Phoenix through the lonely desert, access to Findlay Toyota Center is remarkably easy – there is free parking right outside the stadium, and there is plenty of room in the concourse to move around, little to no lines at the concession stands and team store, and more than enough bathrooms. The only negative is that the facility does not offer Wi-Fi, even though you are directed to purchase mobile tickets when you go to the Wranglers website; fortunately, if you go to the ticket office they can print your ticket out for you if you are unable to pull it up on your phone.
Return on Investment 4
Tickets to Wranglers football start at around $35 including ticketing fees, which is a great deal for this level of sporting event – add in the free parking and low-cost concessions, and you have a wonderful return on investment, better than a lot of similar venues.
Extras 3
The biggest plus is that the team did win a National Championship last year, so you are likely going to see a good product on the field. The staff also does have some promotions and special events at certain games, for example at the last game I attended the flag bearers during the National Anthem were all decked out in Revolutionary War-era apparel.
Final Thoughts
While it may not have the over-the-top feel some sports fans may crave, a visit to a Northern Arizona Wranglers indoor football game at Findlay Toyota Center is a pleasant experience that won’t break the bank. With its proximity to Phoenix, you can also likely pair a game with some other sports down south (Arizona has 2 other IFL teams in the state, for example, as well as the Phoenix Suns and the Arizona Diamondbacks), if you want to make a weekend of it. I recommend seeing an indoor football game if you have never seen one, and Findlay Toyota Center would be a great place to start.
Commentaires