Rush hour traffic on Interstate 5 north most weeknights is a bear, routinely taking an hour-plus from downtown San Diego to Oceanside.
But it’s the traffic inching along in the opposite direction that is the genesis — and genius — of Frontwave Arena, the new 7,500-capacity venue in inland Oceanside that cost $100 million to build and aims to host more than 100 sporting events and concerts per year.
“Most people have been driving south,” Frontwave Arena CEO and co-founder Josh Elias said of the estimated 1 million people living in North County. “It’s great for an experience, but they’ve been forced to go south for a long time. Now they get to come north.”
Or stay north.
It is not the first time North County, once a collection of sleepy suburbs that has exploded into an interconnected metropolis, has been considered a viable destination for pro sports. More than once, there was talk of building a minor-league baseball park in Escondido. At least three pro soccer teams looked at the field complex next to Frontwave as a potential stadium site.
It’s just the first time someone has actually done it.
“I’m not surprised it’s taken this long, because it’s very hard to do and it’s very expensive and it takes a lot of courage, especially to do it privately without any muni or city support, Elias said. It’s a testament to the ownership group here that we invested back in the community we live in. We’re all San Diegans. We really mean it.
“This is a legacy business for us, a legacy project, and I think you can see that as you walk through the venue and feel the passion that we put into it.”
Construction crews sweep outside Frontwave Arena on Aug. 28. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Frontwave Arena is the latest in a national trend toward mid-sized facilities. From 2016 to 2019, five arenas of 19,000 or larger were built for NBA or NHL franchises. Just two have been built in the five years since. During that span, 11 smaller venues opened with minor-league tenants, most in the sweet spot between 4,000 and 8,000 seats.
Frontwave won’t have one minor-league tenant, but three. The Los Angeles Clippers’ G League affiliate, aptly named the San Diego Clippers, opens its season there Friday night. The San Diego Sockers, whose owner/coach Phil Salvagio is among the building’s principal visionaries, are moving north from 58-year-old Pechanga Arena in the Midway District. So are the San Diego Strike Force, an Indoor Football League team in its fifth full season.
What separates Frontwave, though, is that instead of primarily relying on sports, about half its events will be concerts. Rock band Cake was there last month.
“Entertainment that’s on its way up and on its way down,” is how Elias put it. “We’ve also seen the larger stadium and festival business soften a little bit. That falls right into the space we’re living in.”
The inside of Frontwave Arena in Oceanside. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Another difference: Premium food and beverage offerings instead of the typical arena fare of hot dogs, popcorn and soda. Frontwave features 16 luxury suites, plus balconies, lounges and bars.
The idea is to provide cheap, convenient family entertainment while allowing dad to wash down a “Cardiff Crack” tri-tip sandwich with a craft beer.
The question now becomes whether North County is ready for it.
The demographics say yes. Oceanside, Escondido, Carlsbad, Vista and San Marcos all have 90,000-plus residents. There’s another 40,000 active-duty Marines at Camp Pendleton. Expand the driving radius a mere 50 miles, and there are 9 million people.
“It’s a great location, a perfect area,” Clippers guard Norman Powell, who grew up in San Diego and attended Lincoln High School, said after the NBA club played a preseason game there last month in front of a full house. “North County really loves their sports. I used to play Oceanside and Carlsbad and all those teams in high school. I think they’re going to rally behind the San Diego Clippers and come out and support.”
1980-81 San Diego ClippersTony Price, Wally Rank, Phil Smith, Brian Taylor, Bill Walton, Nick Weatherspoon, Sidney Wicks, Freeman Williams, Nate Williams.
It’s an interesting name change after the team moved from an older mid-sized venue in Ontario. The San Diego Clippers were the city’s NBA franchise from 1978 to 1984 before shipping north to L.A., leaving bitter memories of former owner Donald T. Sterling and switching the allegiance of many fans to the Showtime-era Lakers of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The acquisition of San Diego State alum Kawhi Leonard in 2019 helped soften those perceptions, as did the presence of Powell and new owner Steve Ballmer.
Friday’s opener against the Rip City Remix is “Bill Walton Night.”
“It’s all about rewriting the history of it,” Powell said. “With what Steve has done with the organization, taking it over and making sure we have a whole new identity to the Clippers, he’s done a great job with that.
“It’s going back to the roots. It’s not the same as previous. They’re trying to re-energize and rebuild that fan base we had in San Diego. We’re thinking too much about what happened in the past and all that. It’s a new day, and they’re shining a new light.”
It’s not the NBA, but the G League’s level has improved in recent years with expanded rosters and the introduction of two-way contracts that allow players to move freely between both leagues.
Nor are the Sockers at the same level as MLS expansion franchise San Diego FC that will begin play at Snapdragon Stadium in 2025 or the Tijuana Xolos of Mexico’s Liga MX. The IFL (Indoor Football League) is not the NFL.
Cake is not The Rolling Stones.
But you also don’t have to brave I-5 for — what? — 90 minutes to Petco Park for a Padres game, then drop $400 (or more) for a family of four, then get home at midnight. You get reduced cost and increased convenience.
“For us, we wanted to be boutique because of the teams we have here as tenants,” Elias, Frontwave Arena’s CEO, said. “We decided early on that we’re just going to own that. We’re going to own the space that we’re in.”
Torrey Pines alum Megan Kraft (left) played for the AVP Leagues Brooklyn Blaze at the new Frontwave Arena. (AVP / Mpu Dinani)
And he should know. He went to San Pasqual High School and has lived in North County for 25 years, currently in Encinitas. So have other members of the ownership group.
“I think that’s important when you build a niche venue like this, that you understand your community,” Elias said. “If you really plan on bringing the community in and having them buy in, you actually have to understand your community. This is an underserved area.
“You can’t just say it. There’s a lot of hot air out there. We’re not just a developer, we’re not just a venue management company. We actually understand the area that we live in.”
Key dates at Frontwave Arena
Sunday: San Diego Wave FC watch party for 2024 season finale, 12:30 p.m. (game starts at 2:30 p.m.)
Friday: San Diego Clippers home opener/Bill Walton night, 7 p.m.
Nov. 20: San Diego Clippers vs. South Bay Lakers, 7 p.m.
Dec. 7: KSON Country Christmas, 7 p.m.
Dec. 14: San Diego Sockers home opener vs. Utica City, 7:05 p.m.
March 31: San Diego Strike Force home opener vs. Vegas Knight Hawks, 7:05 p.m.