Sports in San Diego

Sports in San Diego includes one major professional sports team, several teams from other highest-level professional leagues, minor league teams, semi-pro and amateur teams, and college athletics teams, in addition to individual and other sporting events. The most popular team in San Diego is the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Also very popular locally are the college teams of the San Diego State Aztecs, which play in NCAA Division I, and amateur sports.

The city is also home to the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)'s San Diego Wave FC, the National Lacrosse League (NLL)'s San Diego Seals, Major League Rugby (MLR)'s San Diego Legion, the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)'s San Diego Sockers, the Indoor Football League (IFL)'s San Diego Strike Force, and World TeamTennis (WTT)'s San Diego Aviators among top-level professional leagues.

San Diego is the largest United States city not to have won a Super Bowl, World Series, Stanley Cup, or NBA Finals; however, the city does have one major league title to its name, the 1963 American Football League (AFL) Championship won by the former San Diego Chargers. Some fans believe that there is a curse on major professional teams in the city.^[1] San Diego teams at the top professional levels of "non-major" sports have conversely seen more success. San Diego teams have claimed titles in sports such as indoor soccer, tennis, sailing, and Australian football. The San Diego Sockers, for example, have won 15 titles at the highest level of indoor soccer.

Professional teams[]

San Diego is currently home to only Major League Baseball (MLB)'s San Diego Padres among major professional sports leagues. The city previously hosted the National Football League (NFL)'s San Diego Chargers (now the Los Angeles Chargers) from 1961 to 2017. The city does not currently have a major professional team in American football, though it does have a team at the highest level of indoor football, the San Diego Strike Force of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The city also previously hosted three professional basketball teams (all between 1967 and 1984), although all three were limited to short stints of existence due to ownership issues and arena complications: the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s San Diego Rockets from 1967 to 1971 (now the Houston Rockets) and San Diego Clippers from 1978 to 1984 (now the Los Angeles Clippers), in addition to the now-defunct American Basketball Association (ABA)'s San Diego Conquistadors/Sails from 1972 to 1975. No professional basketball teams currently play in San Diego. San Diego has never had a National Hockey League (NHL) franchise, but has hosted multiple minor league teams, including the current American Hockey League (AHL) franchise, the San Diego Gulls. San Diego likewise has never hosted a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise, but is home to the second division USL Championship (USLC)'s San Diego Loyal SC and the third division National Independent Soccer Association (NISA)'s Albion SC San Diego, as well as Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)'s San Diego Sockers, who represent San Diego at the top professional level of indoor soccer. The San Diego Wave FC, representing the city at the highest level of women's professional soccer in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), plans to begin play in 2022.

Major professional team[]

Club	Sport	Since	League	Venue (capacity)
San Diego Padres	Baseball	1969	Major League Baseball (MLB)	Petco Park (40,209)

Other highest-level professional teams[]

Club	Sport	Since	League	Venue (capacity)	Titles
San Diego Wave FC	Soccer (women's)	2022	National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)	Torero Stadium (6,000)[a][2]
San Diego Seals	Lacrosse	2017	National Lacrosse League (NLL)	Pechanga Arena (12,920)
San Diego Legion	Rugby union	2018	Major League Rugby (MLR)	SDSU Sports Deck (3,000)[b][3]
San Diego Sockers	Indoor soccer	1978[c]	Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)	Pechanga Arena (12,000)[d]	15[e]
San Diego Strike Force	Indoor football	2019	Indoor Football League (IFL)	Pechanga Arena (12,000)
San Diego Aviators	Tennis	2014[f]	World TeamTennis (WTT)	Omni La Costa Court (2,100)	1 (2016)[g][h]
San Diego Growlers	Ultimate	2015	American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL)	varies
San Diego Lions	Australian football	1997	United States Australian Football League (USAFL)	varies	2 (2001, 2006)
San Diego Yacht Club	Sailing	1886	America's Cup	varies	3 (1987, 1988, 1992)
San Diego Swell	Rugby league	TBD[i]	North American Rugby League (NARL)	TBD

Minor league professional teams[]

Club	Sport	Since	League	Venue (capacity)	Competition Tier
San Diego Gulls	Ice hockey	1966[a]	American Hockey League (AHL)	Pechanga Arena (12,920)	2
San Diego Loyal SC	Soccer	2020	USL Championship (USLC)	Torero Stadium (6,000)	2
Albion SC San Diego	Soccer	2019	National Independent Soccer Association (NISA)	varies	3

College teams[]

The San Diego State Aztecs (MW), the San Diego Toreros (WCC), and the UC San Diego Tritons (BWC) are NCAA Division I teams. The Cal State San Marcos Cougars (CCAA) and Point Loma Nazarene Sea Lions (PacWest) are members of NCAA Division II, while the San Diego Christian Hawks (GSAC) and Saint Katherine Firebirds (CalPac) are a member of the NAIA.

Club	University	Enrollment	League	Primary conference
San Diego State Aztecs	San Diego State University	34,828	NCAA Division I (FBS)	Mountain West Conference
San Diego Toreros	University of San Diego	8,328	NCAA Division I (FCS)	West Coast Conference
UC San Diego Tritons	University of California, San Diego	38,798	NCAA Division I	Big West Conference
Cal State San Marcos Cougars	California State University San Marcos	13,893	NCAA Division II	California Collegiate Athletic Association
Point Loma Nazarene Sea Lions	Point Loma Nazarene University	3,480	NCAA Division II	Pacific West Conference
San Diego Christian Hawks	San Diego Christian College	681	NAIA	Golden State Athletic Conference
Saint Katherine Firebirds	University of Saint Katherine	300	NAIA	California Pacific Conference

Teams sponsored by sport[]

NCAA Division I[]

Club	Baseball	Basket­ball		Cross country		Football	Golf		Lacrosse		Rowing		Soccer		Softball	Swimming & diving		Tennis		Track & field		Volleyball		Water Polo
	M	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[a]		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

NCAA Division II[]

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 Nazarene Sea Lions	Y	Y	Y		Y		Y	Y	Y		Y	Y		Y		Y

NAIA[]

Club	Baseball	Basket­ball		Beach volleyball		Cross country		Golf		Soccer		Softball	Tennis		Volleyball
	M	M	W	M	W	M	W	M	W	M	W	W	M	W	M	W
San Diego Christian Hawks	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y
Saint Katherine Firebirds	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y					Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

Events[]

The annual Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament (formerly Buick Invitational and San Diego Open) of the PGA Tour occurs annually at San Diego's municipally-owned Torrey Pines Golf Course, where it has taken place since 1968. The tournament was founded in 1952 and was played at a variety of venues in the San Diego area in its early years, beginning with San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista for its first two years. The tournament was also played in Rancho Santa Fe and El Cajon, as well as locally in Mission Valley and Rancho Bernardo during these years. This course was also the site of the 2008 U.S. Open Golf Championship.

The San Diego Yacht Club, established in 1886, hosted sailing's America's Cup yacht races three times during the period 1988 to 1995, winning the event three times in the process.

There have been two international track and field competitions at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista called the Thorpe Cup, which is an annual decathlon and heptathlon meeting between the United States and Germany.

There are several road races including the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in June, the America's Finest City Half Marathon^[6] in August, the La Jolla Half Marathon^[7] in April, and several triathlons.^[8]

The San Diego Crew Classic, held in Mission Bay every spring, features 100 or more college and amateur crews.

The amateur beach sport Over-the-line was invented in San Diego, and the annual world Over-the-line championships are held at Mission Bay every year.

San Diego is also host to the Bayfair Cup, a hydroplane boat race in the H1 Unlimited season. The race is typically held during the Bayfair Festival on Mission Bay in San Diego.

Sports[]

Baseball[]

The San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB) play at Petco Park, the team's home since it opened in 2004 in Downtown San Diego's East Village. Prior to the opening of Petco Park in 2004, the Padres played their home games at San Diego Stadium (also known as Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium) in Mission Valley.

The Padres joined MLB in 1969 as an expansion team. The team originated as a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team in the Pacific Coast League (PCL), where they played from 1936 through 1968 before joining Major League Baseball. As a PCL team, the Padres were based at Lane Field (now the site of the InterContinental Hotel San Diego) in Downtown's Columbia neighborhood from 1936 through 1957, and Westgate Park in Mission Valley (now the site of Fashion 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 the MLB All-Star Game three times: 1978 and 1992 at San Diego Stadium, and 2016 at Petco Park. The 2016 edition was the final All-Star game to determine home field advantage in the World Series.

Petco Park has additionally hosted the World Baseball Classic three times: 2006, the inaugural tournament (for which San Diego hosted the championship), 2009, and 2017.

Additionally popular are the local college baseball teams, particularly NCAA Division I's San Diego State Aztecs baseball, San Diego Toreros baseball, and UC San Diego Tritons baseball.

MLB All-Star Games[]

Date	All-Star Game	Winner	Runs	Loser	Runs	Attendance	Host
July 11, 1978	1978 (49th)	National League (NL)	7	American League (AL)	3	51,549	San Diego Padres
July 14, 1992	1992 (63rd)	American League (AL)	13	National League (NL)	6	59,372	San Diego Padres
July 12, 2016	2016 (87th)	American League (AL)	4	National League (NL)	2	42,386	San Diego Padres

Football[]

The most popular American football team in San Diego currently is the San Diego State Aztecs football team of NCAA Division I FBS. The San Diego Toreros football team of NCAA Division I FCS also garners a local following.

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

The city does not currently host a National Football League (NFL) team, though it previously hosted the San 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 the American Football League (AFL), and spent its first season in Los Angeles before moving to San Diego in 1961.^[9] The Chargers joined the NFL as result of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, and played their home games initially at Balboa Stadium, then at San Diego Stadium from 1967 until relocating to Los Angeles in 2017. The team moved to Los Angeles following a request by owner Dean Spanos to relocate the team to SoFi Stadium, a new stadium constructed by Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke, where the Chargers would be a tenant and share the new stadium with the Rams. They are now known as the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers' relocation left San Diego without a professional football team for the first time since 1961.^[10]

San Diego hosted the Super Bowl three times at San Diego Stadium during the Chargers' tenure in the city.

On May 29, 2018, the Alliance of American Football (AAF) announced they would start a franchise in San Diego, the San Diego Fleet.^[11] The team played their home games at SDCCU Stadium, while San Diego native and former St. Louis Rams head coach Mike Martz was the head coach.^[12] The league suspended operations before it could complete its inaugural season.

Super Bowls (NFL)[]

Date	Super Bowl	NFC Champion	Points	AFC Champion	Points	Attendance	Host
January 31, 1988	XXII	Washington Redskins	42	Denver Broncos	10	73,302	San Diego Chargers
January 25, 1998	XXXII	Green Bay Packers	24	Denver Broncos	31	68,912	San Diego Chargers
January 26, 2003	XXXVII	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	48	Oakland Raiders	21	67,603	San Diego Chargers

Basketball[]

The most popular basketball team in San Diego currently is the San Diego State Aztecs of NCAA Division I. The San Diego Toreros and UC San Diego Tritons, also of NCAA Division I, likewise call the city home.

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

The San Diego Rockets, a National Basketball Association (NBA) expansion team, played from 1967 to 1971. The franchise was founded and owned by local sports booster Robert Breitbard, who also founded and owned the original San Diego Gulls hockey franchise of the Western Hockey League and developed the San Diego Sports Arena (initially known as the San Diego International Sports Center), where the Rockets played. In 1971, the Rockets were sold and relocated to Houston 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, who's alleged mismanagement of the arena hampered future sports tenants. The franchise is now known as the Houston Rockets.

The 1971 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 the 1971–72 NBA season, San Diego was the part-time home of the Golden 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 as Oakland) following the departure of the Rockets to Houston. The team ultimately stayed in the San Francisco Bay Area, settling full time in Oakland at Oakland Arena the following season.

From 1972 to 1975, San Diego was home to the San Diego Conquistadors of the American 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 the 1975–76 season. The franchise was folded 11 games into that season after ownership learned that the team was to be shut out of the upcoming ABA–NBA merger, reportedly at the insistence of then-Los Angeles Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke. Cooke was upset that the San Diego franchise had signed former Lakers star Wilt 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 in Southern California.^[13] The Conquistadors/Sails played at Peterson Gymnasium for the 1972–73 season and Golden Hall for the 1973–74 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's San Diego Clippers, the relocated successor to the Buffalo Braves franchise. The team was based at the San Diego Sports Arena. In 1981, the Clippers were bought by Los Angeles-area real estate developer Donald 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 to Los 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 owner Jerry Buss, who welcomed sharing the Los Angeles market with Sterling's franchise.^[14] The franchise is now known as the Los Angeles Clippers. San Diego has not hosted major professional basketball since.

NBA All-Star Game[]

Date	All-Star Game	Winner	Points	Loser	Points	Attendance	Host
January 12, 1971	1971 (21st)	Western Conference	108	Eastern Conference	107	14,378	San Diego Rockets

Ice hockey[]

Though San Diego has never hosted a National Hockey League (NHL) team, the city is represented by the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League, the highest level of minor league ice hockey. The current version of the Gulls, which began play in 2015 after relocating from Norfolk, Virginia, plays at Pechanga Arena and following a long lineage of professional ice hockey teams which have used the San Diego Gulls name. The original San Diego Gulls, which played from 1966 until 1974, were the first tenants at the San Diego Sports Arena.

San Diego has a long history of minor league ice hockey teams, beginning with the San Diego Skyhawks that played in the Pacific Coast Hockey League from 1948 to 1950. Hockey returned in 1966 with the original San Diego Gulls of the Western Hockey League, which were created by Robert Breitbard to have a tenant for his upcoming arena, the San Diego Sports Arena.^[15] The Gulls soon grew a fanbase in San Diego, with averages of over 9,000 spectators. By 1971, the year Breitbard's National Basketball Association franchise relocated to Texas to become the Houston Rockets, the Gulls had attendances larger than both the Rockets and the Californian National Hockey League (NHL) teams, the Los Angeles Kings and Oakland Seals.^[16]

The Gulls ceased operations in 1974 to give way for the relocated San Diego Mariners of the upstart World Hockey Association (WHA), which at the time was the NHL's rival league. The WHA's financial instability caused the Mariners to fold in 1977, shortly before the NHL-WHA merger of 1979.

Another Mariners team was one of the charter teams of the short-lived Pacific Hockey League that began play the same year the previous Mariners team folded, being renamed Hawks in the following and last PHL season. The arena remained without hockey until 1990, when another San Diego Gulls team was founded in the International Hockey League (1990–95). After the IHL team moved to Los Angeles, another Gulls team played for over a decade in both the West Coast Hockey League (1995–03) and ECHL (2003–06). The current San Diego Gulls, of the American Hockey League, started playing in 2015, and are owned by the NHL's Anaheim Ducks.^[15]

Soccer[]

San Diego has never hosted a Major League Soccer (MLS) team, though it is currently represented by San Diego Loyal SC of the USL Championship (the highest level of minor league soccer) as well as Albion San Diego SC of the National Independent Soccer Association (the second-highest level of minor league soccer).

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

In 2022, the city became the home to the San Diego Wave FC, a new expansion team of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), slated to play its home games at Torero Stadium before moving to permanent home Snapdragon Stadium upon its completion in September 2022.^[17]

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

With the expansion of the minor professional league National Premier Soccer League, the San Diego Flash saw the addition of the North County Battalion and Albion SC Pros. The San Diego SeaLions play in the Women's Premier Soccer League, and the San Diego Zest play in the USL Premier Development League with the SoCal Surf. San Diego Internacional FC began playing in the UPSL in 2019.^[18]

On June 19, 2019, it was announced that Landon Donovan would be bringing a new USL Championship team to San Diego. The club, San Diego Loyal SC, began play during the 2020 USL Championship season.^[19]

On June 25, 2017, it was announced that San Diego 1904 FC would join the second tier of the American soccer pyramid North American Soccer League in 2018. The club's founders include professional soccer players Demba Ba, Eden Hazard, Yohan Cabaye and Moussa Sow.^[20][21] In 2021 the club was purchased and became Albion San Diego SC.

In 2022, the city will be the location for a new NWSL team, playing at Torero Stadium.^[22]

Lacrosse[]

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

Rugby[]

Rugby union is a developing sport in San Diego. A diversity of clubs, ranging from men's and women's clubs to collegiate and high school, are part of the Southern California Rugby Football Union.^[23] The United States national rugby sevens team train at the United States Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, San Diego. Additionally, the USA Sevens, an event in the annual World Rugby Sevens Series for international teams in rugby sevens, was held in Petco Park from 2007 through 2009 before moving to Las Vegas for 2010 and back to Los Angeles more recently.

The San Diego Legion of Major League Rugby (MLR), the highest level of rugby union, is based in the city at Torero Stadium, having began play in 2018 as one of the league's founding franchises.

The San Diego Swell of the North American Rugby League (NARL), the highest level of rugby league, were announced in 2021 as a founding member of the league and are expected to begin play in 2023.^[24]

The following is a list of rugby teams in San Diego;

Tennis[]

The San Diego Aviators of World TeamTennis (WTT) moved to San Diego from New York prior to the start of the 2014 season. They were formerly known as the New York Sportimes. They played their 2014 home matches at Valley View Casino Center. In 2015, they moved to Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad. In their first three seasons in San Diego, they finished with the league's top regular-season record twice (2014 and 2016), and won the King Trophy as 2016 WTT champions.

San Diego has had two previous WTT franchises. The San Diego Friars were a WTT expansion franchise that began play in 1975. They used the San Diego Sports Arena (now Valley View Casino Center) as their primary home venue but played some home matches at the Anaheim Convention Center between 1975 and 1977, before Anaheim 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 Famers Rod Laver and Dennis 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 the San Diego Buds before the 1984 season. The Buds won both the 1984 and 1985 TeamTennis championships but folded following the 1985 season. Hall of Famer Rosie Casals was the Friars player-coach in 1983.

Golf[]

The annual Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament (formerly the Buick Invitational) on the PGA Tour occurs at Torrey Pines Golf Course, which has hosted the tournament since 1952 when it was founded as the San Diego open.^[26] This course was also the site of the 2008 U.S. Open Golf Championship.

The LPGA Kia Classic is held at the Aviara Golf Club in nearby Carlsbad, which has hosted the annual event since 2012 after the event's relocation from Los Angeles County.

The San Diego region is home to 72 golf courses in total.^[27]

Venues[]

San Diego has several sports venues. Petco Park is home to the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball. Aztec Stadium, currently under construction, will be home to the NCAA Division I San Diego State Aztecs, as well as local high school football championships and the Holiday Bowl, which currently features teams from the Pac-12 and Big Ten. Pechanga Arena is home to the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League, the San Diego Seals of the National Lacrosse League, San Diego Strike Force of the Indoor Football League and the San Diego Sockers of the Major Arena Soccer League.

From 1967 until 2017, the National Football League's San Diego Chargers played at Qualcomm Stadium, which also housed the Aztecs, as well as local high school football championships. International soccer games and Supercross events also took place at Qualcomm where Major League Baseball was also once played. Three NFL Super Bowl championships were held there. From along with the Holiday Bowl. from 2005 through 2016, the stadium hosted a second bowl game, the Poinsettia Bowl, but the organizer of both bowl games scrapped that game after its 2016 edition. The stadium was demolished in 2021.

Balboa Stadium was the city's first stadium, constructed in 1914, where the San Diego Chargers once played. Currently soccer, American football, and track and field are played in Balboa Stadium.

Former teams[]

Note: Major professional league teams are in bold.

Club	Sport	Duration		League	Venue(s)	Titles	Fate
		Start	End
San Diego Chargers	Football	1961	2016	National Football League (NFL): 1970—2016 American Football League (AFL): 1961—1969	San Diego Stadium, Balboa Stadium	AFL: 1 (1963)	Owner relocated franchise to Los Angeles to be tenant in a newly constructed stadium[28]
San Diego Clippers	Basketball	October 13, 1978	April 14, 1984	National Basketball Association (NBA)	San Diego Sports Arena		Owner relocated franchise to Los Angeles, successfully utilizing lawsuits to do so, after twice being denied official permission from the NBA to move[29]
San Diego Mariners	Ice hockey	1974	1977	World Hockey Association (WHA)	San Diego Sports Arena		Franchise folded prior to NHL-WHA merger
San Diego Conquistadors / Sails	Basketball	October 13, 1972	November 12, 1975	American Basketball Association (ABA)	San Diego Sports Arena; Golden Hall; Peterson Gymnasium		Franchise folded after ownership learned it was to be excluded from the upcoming ABA–NBA merger, reportedly at the insistence of Los Angeles Lakers then-ownership[30][31]
San Diego Rockets	Basketball	October 14, 1967	March 21, 1971	National Basketball Association (NBA)	San Diego Sports Arena		Owner encountered financial turmoil, franchise sale and relocation to Houston, Texas resulted[32]
San Diego Fleet	Football	2019	2019	Alliance of American Football	San Diego Stadium		League folded
San Diego Surge	Football (women's)	2010	2019	Women's Football Alliance	Santana High School	1 (2012)	Folded
San Diego Breakers	Rugby union	2016	2017	PRO Rugby	Torero Stadium		League folded
San Diego Sting	Football (women's)	2010	2016	Women's Football Alliance	Carlsbad High School
San Diego Flash	Soccer	1998	2016	National Premier Soccer League	Mira Mesa High School Stadium		Folded
So Cal Scorpions	Football (women's)	2003	2011	Women's Football Alliance	Balboa Stadium		Folded
San Diego Shockwave	Indoor football	2007	2008	National Indoor Football League	Cox Arena	1 (2007)	League folded
San Diego Pumitas	Soccer	1999	2007	National Premier Soccer League	Balboa Stadium
San Diego Gauchos	Soccer	2002	2007	Premier Development League	Torero Stadium		Folded
San Diego Sunwaves	Soccer (women's)	2005	2007	USL W-League	Torero Stadium		Folded
San Diego Gulls	Ice hockey	1995[a]	2006[b]	West Coast Hockey League	San Diego Sports Arena		Folded
San Diego Riptide	Indoor football	2002	2005	AF2	San Diego Sports Arena		Folded
San Diego Sockers	Indoor soccer	2001[c]	2004	Major Indoor Soccer League	San Diego Sports Arena		Folded
San Diego Spirit	Soccer (women's)	2001	2003	Women's United Soccer Association	Torero Stadium		League folded
San Diego Sockers	Indoor soccer	1980	1996	Continental Indoor Soccer League	San Diego Sports Arena	10	Folded
	Soccer	1978	1984	North American Soccer League (NASL)	San Diego Stadium		Became indoor-only team after NASL folded March 28, 1985
San Diego Barracudas	Inline hockey	1993	1996	Roller Hockey International	San Diego Sports Arena		Relocated to Ontario, California, became the Ontario Barracudas
San Diego Gulls	Ice hockey	1990[d]	1995[e]	International Hockey League	San Diego Sports Arena		Relocated to Los Angeles, became the Los Angeles Ice Dogs
San Diego Nomads	Soccer	1986	1990	Western Soccer Alliance		1 (1987)	Withdrew, became amateur team
San Diego Buds / Friars	Tennis	1981	1985	World TeamTennis		2 (1984, 1985)	Folded
San Diego Hawks / Mariners	Ice hockey	1977	1979	Pacific Hockey League	San Diego Sports Arena		League folded
San Diego Friars	Tennis	1975	1978	World TeamTennis			Folded
San Diego Breakers	Volleyball (co-ed)	1975	1978	International Volleyball Association		1 (1976)
San Diego Jaws	Soccer	1976	1976	North American Soccer League (NASL)	Aztec Bowl		Relocated to Las Vegas, becoming Las Vegas Quicksilvers for 1 season before relocating back to San Diego in 1978 as San Diego Sockers
	Indoor soccer				San Diego Sports Arena
San Diego Gulls	Ice hockey	1966	1974	Western Hockey League	San Diego Sports Arena		Folded upon the arrival of WHA's Jersey Knights (became San Diego Mariners)
San Diego Toros	Soccer	1968	1968	North American Soccer League (NASL)			Folded
San Diego Skyhawks	Ice hockey	1960[f]	1962	California Hockey League			Folded
San Diego Skyhawks	Ice hockey	1941	1950	Pacific Coast Hockey League	Glacier Garden	1 (1949)	Folded
San Diego Bombers	Football	1940	1946	Pacific Coast Professional Football League	Balboa Stadium

See also[]

• San Diego#Sports
• San Diego Hall of Champions
• San Diego sports curse
• Breitbard Hall of Fame
• Sports in California

References[]