The Surprise Sundancers, founded in 2002, is the official Spring Training volunteer organization of the Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, and the City of Surprise. The Sundancers are a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that currently consists of over 750 members! The Sundancers also provide volunteer services at the Surprise Recreation Campus and other City Special Events. As a non-profit volunteer organization, the Surprise Sundancers raise charitable donations and receive contributions to support greater Surprise/Northwest Valley youth-related programs and projects, including the award-winning Dream Catcher Park.
2025 Surprise Stadium Schedule Announced
Major League Baseball, along with the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals, have released the 2025 Cactus League Spring Training schedule.
Opening Day is Friday, February 21, with the Royals hosting the Rangers at Surprise Stadium, which recently ranked second in the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice awards for “Best Spring Training Facility.”
The 30-day schedule includes 15 home games for each the Rangers and the Royals.
2025 Spring Training ticket packages, including season tickets, mini-plans and group tickets will go on sale starting Tuesday, October 29, at 10 a.m. (AZ time). Each of these options offers savings over individual game ticket prices, first choice of the best available seating locations and exclusive access to pre-sale opportunities.
Individual game tickets for Spring Training at Surprise Stadium will go on sale online at SurpriseStadium.com on November 12, at 10 a.m. (AZ time).
Information regarding game times and promotional events will be announced later.
2025 Surprise Stadium Spring Training schedule:
21-Feb Texas Rangers vs. Kansas City Royals
22-Feb San Francisco Giants vs. Texas Rangers
23-Feb Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals
24-Feb Athletics vs. Kansas City Royals
25-Feb Kansas City Royals vs. Texas Rangers
26-Feb Colorado Rockies vs. Kansas City Royals
27-Feb Seattle Mariners vs. Texas Rangers
28-Feb Chicago Cubs vs. Texas Rangers
1-Mar Chicago Cubs vs. Kansas City Royals
2-Mar Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Texas Rangers
3-Mar Texas Rangers vs. Kansas City Royals
4-Mar Athletics vs. Texas Rangers
5-Mar Seattle Mariners vs. Kansas City Royals
6-Mar San Diego Padres vs. Texas Rangers
7-Mar Los Angeles Angels vs. Kansas City Royals
8-Mar Kansas City Royals vs. Texas Rangers
9-Mar Milwaukee Brewers vs. Kansas City Royals
10-Mar Cleveland Guardians vs. Kansas City Royals
11-Mar Los Angeles Angels vs. Texas Rangers
12-Mar Cincinnati Reds vs. Texas Rangers
13-Mar San Diego Padres vs. Kansas City Royals
14-Mar Colorado Rockies vs. Texas Rangers
15-Mar Cincinnati Reds vs. Kansas City Royals
16-Mar Chicago White Sox vs. Texas Rangers
17-Mar Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Kansas City Royals
18-Mar Cleveland Guardians vs. Texas Rangers
19-Mar San Francisco Giants vs. Kansas City Royals
20-Mar Colorado Rockies vs. Texas Rangers
21-Mar Seattle Mariners vs. Kansas City Royals
22-Mar Kansas City Royals vs. Texas Rangers
Schedule subject to change
Also save the date for the 2025 Out of the Park Music Fest on March 22, after the Royals and Rangers game. Time, artists and more details to be released at a later time.
For Spring Training questions or information, please go to SurpriseStadium.com or call 623.222.2222.
2024 Surprise Sundancers Scholarships Announced
July 11, 2024 - The Surprise Sundancer's Board of Directors announced today that they have awarded $163,500 in scholarships to 94 youth from the Surprise area. This amount is the second-largest award total in the history of Sundancers scholarships, behind the $213,750 awarded in 2019. The individual scholarship recipients are being notified of their scholarships by the Arizona Community Foundation.
This year's total awards were made to a total of 94 Sundancers Scholars. This number of scholars was third in total, behind 98 (2021) and 95 (2020). There were 78 first-year scholarships, with two of the top-rated recipients receiving the prestigious Mark Coronado scholarships with a value of $5,000 for the first year, 47 recipients receiving Tier 1 scholarships with a value of $2,000 each, and 29 recipients receiving Tier 2 scholarships with a value of $1,500. There were 16 returning recipients who were awarded an additional one-year scholarship of $1,000 each.
All awards were made based on scores derived from blind rankings and criteria by a subcommittee of the Sundancers Board of Directors and outside evaluators. The scholarship application process is managed by the Arizona Community Foundation. The Arizona Community Foundation manages more than 120 scholarship funds for organizations throughout Arizona. Each scholarship has its own individual eligibility criteria. Eligibility for awards is determined based on answers to the questions and essays on the General Application and review and scoring by the Surprise Sundancer's evaluators.
Scholarship Applications Are Closed for the 2024 Season
April 1, 2024 - The Surprise Sundancers have announced that the scholarship application process for the 2024 season is now closed. Applications for this season were extended by one month due to issues with the FAFSA (federal scholarship application form), according to the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF).
Submitted applications that have been made to ACF will now be evaluated by a group of independent evaluators, who will score the applications based on blind rankings based on criteria provided by ACF. The evaluations will be forwarded to the Sundancers Board of Directors to award the 2024 scholarships during a meeting later this month.
Starting in 2012, the Sundancers provided 587 scholarships to new and returning scholars, a value of $1.33 million. Proceeds from the annual Sundancers charity game, proceeds from the 50/50 daily game raffle, and other donations are used to fund the scholarships each year. Surprise Sundancers have given out over $1.78 million in donations in the form of scholarships and other donations to organizations that provide services to the youth of the West Valley.
Scholarship recipients will be informed of their awards by the Arizona Community Foundation when the awards are granted later this month.
Sundancers Scholarship Deadline Extended
The Surprise Sundancers have announced that the deadline for submitting scholarship applications has been extended to April 1, 2024. We were informed by the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF) that due to the delay with FAFSA (a federal scholarship application form), the students will not receive any information about what financial aid they qualify for until mid-March, so a lot of our applicants cannot yet submit their applications.
Unfortunately, we will not have our normal scholarship recipient reception this year and will announce the awards through our website around mid-April. We will announce the total amount of scholarship dollars during the game on March 20, 2024 (6:05 p.m.).
Charity Game for Sundancers
The annual charity game for Surprise Sundancers charities was held on February 24, 2024. The attendance for the game was 6,296, and it was reported to be the highest-grossing Charity in Sundancer's history. The game was introduced by Board President Jay Hicks to thank the fans and the hundreds of Sundancer volunteers for their support of the Surprise area youth through scholarships and other activities.
Play Ball! 2024 Spring Training
Friday, February 23, 2024 - Spring Training in Surprise, Arizona, dawned on a sunny day at Surprise Stadium. The returning World Champion Texas Rangers played the Kansas City Royals on the opening day of spring training.
The 2024 Season Scholarship Site is Now Open
The Arizona Community Foundation site for Surprise Sundancers scholarships is now open.
If you know of any deserving youth from the Surprise area, you can apply for a scholarship at:
https://www.azfoundation.org/Scholarships
Click on "Begin Your Application"
The scholarship applications will close on March 1, 2024. Scholarship awards will be presented during the March 20, 2024, Spring Training night game (6:05 pm). Scholarship applicants can also work with their school counselors for assistance in filling out the application.
With our charter to raise funds to positively influence Northwest Valley youth, the Surprise Sundancers have given out over $1.7 million in donations to individuals and organizations that provide services to the youth of the West Valley. Funds are raised for scholarships and through a 50/50 Raffle that is held during each Spring Training game.
Beginning in 2012, donations were earmarked for scholarships for Northwest Valley students. Since 2016, the scholarship application process has been administered by the Arizona Community Foundation.
2024 Spring Training Schedule
| 2/23/2024 | Texas Rangers | Kansas City Royals | 1:05 PM | Classic |
| 2/24/2024 | Kansas City Royals | Texas Rangers | 1:05 PM | Classic Sundancers Charity Game |
| 2/25/2024 | Texas Rangers | San Francisco Giants | 1:05 PM | Premium |
| 2/26/2024 | Kansas City Royals | Chicago Cubs | 1:05 PM | Premium |
| 2/27/2024 | Kansas City Royals | Colorado Rockies | 1:05 PM | Classic |
| 2/28/2024 | Texas Rangers | Los Angeles Dodgers | 1:05 PM | Premium |
| 2/29/2024 | Texas Rangers | Milwaukee Brewers | 1:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/1/2024 | Kansas City Royals | Oakland Athletics | 1:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/2/2024 | Texas Rangers | Chicago White Sox | 1:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/3/2024 | Kansas City Royals | Cincinnati Reds | 1:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/4/2024 | Texas Rangers | Los Angeles Angels | 1:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/5/2024 | Kansas City Royals | Chicago Cubs | 6:05 PM | Premium |
| 3/6/2024 | Kansas City Royals | Seattle Mariners | 1:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/7/2024 | Texas Rangers | Arizona Diamondbacks | 1:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/8/2024 | Texas Rangers | Kansas City Royals | 1:05 PM | Classic |
| 3/9/2024 | Kansas City Royals | Arizona Diamondbacks | 1:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/10/2024 | Texas Rangers | Chicago Cubs | 1:05 PM | Premium |
| 3/11/2024 | Kansas City Royals | San Francisco Giants | 1:05 PM | Premium |
| 3/12/2024 | Texas Rangers | Cleveland Guardians | 1:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/13/2024 | Kansas City Royals | Los Angeles Angels | 1:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/14/2024 | Texas Rangers | Cincinnati Reds | 6:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/15/2024 | Kansas City Royals | Cleveland Guardians | 1:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/16/2024 | Texas Rangers | Arizona Diamondbacks | 1:05 PM | Premium |
| 3/17/2024 | Kansas City Royals | Milwaukee Brewers | 1:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/18/2024 | Texas Rangers | Seattle Mariners | 1:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/19/2024 | Texas Rangers | Oakland Athletics | 1:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/20/2024 | Kansas City Royals | Los Angeles Angels | 6:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/21/2024 | Kansas City Royals | Chicago White Sox | 1:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/22/2024 | Texas Rangers | Colorado Rockies | 1:05 PM | Standard |
| 3/23/2024 | Kansas City Royals | Texas Rangers | 12:05 PM | Standard |
Sundancers Board Announces New Officers
July 28, 2023 - The Sundancers Board of Directors has selected a new slate of officers for the 2024–2025 term. Jay Hicks, a Board member since 2018, has been elected President; Randy Jackson, a Board member since 2018, has been elected Vice President; Paul Moehring, a Board member since 2022, has been elected Treasurer; and Jennifer Williams, a Board member since 2022, has been elected Secretary.
The Board thanks outgoing President Jim Triggs and Treasurer Diana Teter for their service during the last term.
Charity Game 2023
The Surprise Sundancers annual charity game was played Saturday, Feb 25th, at Surprise Stadium at 1:05 p.m. The Texas Rangers and the Kansas City Royals played in a game where ALL the proceeds from ticket sales, program sales, and concession sales would go to the scholarship fund for deserving youth in the Surprise area.
Scholarship awards are made based on rankings based on defined criteria by a subcommittee consisting of some of the Sundancers Board of Directors and volunteers from the Sundancer community. The scholarship application process is managed by the Arizona Community Foundation. The Arizona Community Foundation manages more than 120 scholarship funds for organizations throughout Arizona. Each scholarship has its own individual eligibility criteria. Eligibility for awards will be determined based on answers to the questions on the General Application and review and blind ranking by the volunteers from the scholarship selection committee.
The deadline for the scholarship applications is March 1, 2023. See the deadline article below for more information.
2022 Surprise Sundancers Scholarships Announced
April 21, 2022 - While the 2022 Spring Training season was shortened by the MLB and Player's labor issues, Surprise Sundancer's elected to continue our award-winning scholarship program for Surprise area youth. The Surprise Sundancer's Board of Directors today announced the award totals for the 2022 Scholarship season. The total amount of scholarships awarded in 2022 was $94,500. The individual scholarship recipients are being notified of their scholarships.
This year's totals included a total of 49 Sundancers Scholars. There were 36 first-year scholarships, with three of the top-rated recipients receiving $3,000 Mark Coronado scholarships and 33 recipients receiving scholarships with a value of $2,000 each. There were 13 returning recipients who were awarded a one-year scholarship of $1,500 each.
All awards were made based on blind rankings of criteria by a subcommittee of the Sundancers Board of Directors. The scholarship application process is managed by the Arizona Community Foundation. The Arizona Community Foundation manages more than 120 scholarship funds for organizations throughout Arizona. Each scholarship has its own individual eligibility criteria. Eligibility for awards is determined based on answers to the questions on the General Application and review and blind ranking by the Surprise Sundancer's Board of Directors.
New Community Leaders join the Sundancers Board
The Sundancers Board of Directors has announced the addition of five new community leaders to the volunteer Board of the Surprise Sundancers organization. The new Board members (pictured above from left to right) include:
Current Board members of Surprise Sundancers (2024):
Jay Hicks, President
Randy Jackson, Vice President
S. Paul Moehring, Treasurer
Jennifer Williams, Secretary
Jim Triggs
Tom O'Neil
Diana Teter
Todd Hornback
Tucker Smith
Herman Orcutt
Bill Pupo
Mike Hawkins
Joe Holcomb
Arlene Santos
Bill Adams
Tamara Jamison
Surprise Sundancers Awarded a $5,000 Grant From the MLB Players Trust
Surprise, Arizona (April 2, 2022): Jim Triggs, President of the Surprise Sundancers Board of Directors, has announced that the MLB Players Trust has approved our grant application for a $5,000 award. This grant is being offered due to MLB operations being shut down during the lockout. According to Triggs, the award money will be used to supplement the funds used for scholarships for next year.
According to Amy "Emiko" J. Hever, Director of the MLB Players Trust Board of Directors, our request in the amount of $5,000 has been approved. "We are honored to support SURPRISE SUNDANCER and are excited to play a small role in your work to strengthen the lives and well-being of others in your local community."
Surprise Sundancers' History of Giving Updated for 2024
During the 2024 Spring Training season of scholarship awards, the Surprise Sundancers have reached the milestone of giving out more than $2.011 Million in donations for the youth of the Northwest Valley since their inception. The 2024 round of scholarships recorded a number of yearly scholarships ($163,500 to 94 scholars) with first year scholarships (76 new scholars). Two of the 2024 new scholarship awards of $5,000 per year were designated as Mark Coronado Scholarships.
With our charter to raise funds to positively influence Northwest Valley youth, the Surprise Sundancers have given out $2,011 million in donations to individuals and organizations that provide services to the youth of the West Valley. Funds are raised for scholarships and through a 50/50 Raffle that is held during each Spring Training game. The 50/50 Raffle program has been in operation since 2014 and has provided more than $262,562 in donations through 2022 to 31 local organizations that benefit local youth.
The majority of the donations are raised for scholarships, with $1,493,000 given in scholarships since 2006. The first year, Surprise Sundancers provided $250,000 to Dreamcatcher Park, the award-winning, fully accessible athletic facility located on the Surprise Recreation Campus near Surprise Stadium. Dreamcatcher Park is a multi-use athletic facility designed to provide a safe and fun place for athletes with special needs to participate in sports and recreation programs.
Beginning in 2012, donations were earmarked for scholarships for Northwest Valley students. Since 2016, the scholarship application process has been administered by the Arizona Community Foundation. From 2012 through 2024, Surprise Sundancers have awarded $1,493,500 in annual scholarships to 681 students. Individual initial scholarships were valued at $1,000 to $15,000 each, and additional yearly scholarships were valued at $500 to $2,500 per year. Of the scholarship recipients, 209 of them were awarded a total of $282,000 in additional scholarships to help them complete their higher education pursuits.
Below is the breakdown of scholarship awards by year:
- 2012 - $48,000
- 2013 - $24,000
- 2014 - $24,000
- 2016 - $215,000
- 2017 - $135,000
- 2018 - $140,000
- 2019 - $213,750
- 2020 - $155,750
- 2021 - $140,500
- 2022 - $94,500
- 2023 - $138,500
- 2024 - $163,500
Mission Statement
The Surprise Sundancers are a 501-C(3) non-profit organization established for the purpose of providing volunteer services to support the City of Surprise with regard to promoting, assisting, and coordinating Major League Spring Training activities and other events conducted by the City. As a service organization, the Surprise Sundancers will provide volunteers for game day operations during the spring training season and, at other times of the year, raise funds and receive contributions to support charitable, youth-related activities and projects within the community.
WHO ARE THE SUNDANCERS?
To apply for this ACF Scholarship, beginning January 1, 2025, please visit:
Applications for 2025 are now CLOSED! - Scholarship applications for 2025 will begin on January 1, 2025. Application deadline: March 1, 2025
BUY TICKETS
CONTACT US:
Phone: (623) 222-2222
Phone: (623) 222-2263
Fax: (623) 222-2001
Mon - Fri: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sat & Sun: Closed