Designing High-Performance Sports Fields at Orange County Great Park Sports Park

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From a historic Marine Corps airfield to one of the premier sports complexes in the nation, the redesign of the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Irvine, California was designed as a multi-use athletic hub to host regional tournaments while serving the local community. Working as part of the design-build team alongside BrightView Design Group and BrightView Landscape Development, JBC Landscape Architects (JBC) served as the sports field consultant from early master planning through construction documentation for this 194-acre sports facility.

Planning for Scale and Versatility

A complex of this size requires careful layout coordination to maximize land use, protect player safety, and maintain field performance over time. JBC joined the project as the sports complex Master Plan consultant to help establish the overarching layout for the athletic footprint.

Following the master planning stage, JBC provided specialized design services to BrightView, focusing on the site layout and spatial arrangement of the sports fields and courts. To help bring this project to life across the entire site, JBC completed the detailed construction documentation for all athletic surfaces across the four distinct phases of construction.

World-Class Athletic Facilities

The resulting complex offers an impressive array of high-performance surfaces built to handle heavy daily use and championship events:

  • Soccer Facilities: 18 total soccer fields (including 12 natural turf fields and 6 synthetic turf fields), anchored by a central Championship Soccer Field.

  • Baseball & Softball: 7 baseball fields, 5 softball fields, a Championship Baseball Field, and a Championship Softball Field.

  • Multi-Purpose Fields: 5 natural grass multi-purpose fields designed for flexible scheduling across various sports.

  • Court Sports: 24 tennis courts plus a dedicated Championship Tennis Court, 5 sand volleyball courts, and 4 basketball courts.

A Collaborative Effort

Projects of this scope rely on strong consultant partnerships. JBC worked closely with a multi-disciplinary team of planners, engineers, developers, and municipal leaders to make sure the complex met strict operational standards:

  • BrightView Landscape Development | Calabasas, CA

  • FivePoint Communities | Irvine, CA

  • NBBJ | Los Angeles, CA

  • Hunsaker & Associates | Irvine, CA

  • Stantec | Irvine, CA

  • KPFF | Irvine, CA

  • City of Irvine Parks and Recreation | Irvine, CA

Delivering a 194-acre, world-class sports complex takes seamless collaboration and deep technical insight. We are proud to have served as the sports field consultant for the Orange County Great Park, and we bring this same commitment to precision and performance to every sports and athletic facility we design.