Los Angeles is a sports city, and a remarkable amount of the machinery sits in the South Bay. Not the stadiums, mostly. The training centers, the headquarters and the practice courts, which is where professional teams actually spend their week. El Segundo alone is now home to four professional franchises’ operations, and one of them represents the largest single-team investment in the history of women’s sport.
Which professional teams are based in the South Bay?
Four, with a fifth venue in Carson. The Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Kings and the Los Angeles Chargers all run their training operations out of El Segundo, and the Los Angeles Sparks are building there now. The LA Galaxy play in Carson.
| Team | Facility | City | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Lakers and South Bay Lakers | UCLA Health Training Center | El Segundo | 120,000 sq ft, opened summer 2017. Includes a 750 seat arena and the Lakers’ offices |
| Los Angeles Kings and Ontario Reign | Toyota Sports Performance Center | El Segundo | A fully operational Kings facility since 2019 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | The Bolt | El Segundo | $250 million, 150,000 sq ft across 14 acres, opened July 2024. Three natural grass fields |
| Los Angeles Sparks | New headquarters and practice facility | El Segundo | $150 million on Rosecrans Avenue, due to open 2027 |
| LA Galaxy | Dignity Health Sports Park | Carson | 18400 South Avalon Boulevard, up to 27,000 for soccer |
Two details worth pulling out of that table.
The South Bay Lakers actually play here. The NBA G League affiliate uses the 750 seat arena at the El Segundo facility, which means you can watch professional basketball from closer than you will ever sit at a Lakers game, for a fraction of the price. It is the best value sporting ticket in the area and most residents do not know it exists.
The Sparks facility is a landmark. The team spent thirty seasons moving between borrowed practice sites before committing to a dedicated headquarters on Rosecrans Avenue. At $150 million it is reported as the largest investment ever made in a single women’s sports team, and it is being built here. When it opens in 2027, El Segundo will host the training operations of an NBA team, an NHL team, an NFL team and a WNBA team inside a few square miles.
The reason all of this clusters here is the same reason the aerospace industry did. Land, freeway access and proximity to the airport. Our El Segundo community page goes into how that shaped the city, and it is the clearest example of the South Bay doing the work while the rest of Los Angeles takes the photograph.
Where do you go to watch a game?
The major venues sit just north and east of the South Bay, close enough that a weeknight game is realistic rather than an expedition.
| Venue | City | Teams and use | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| SoFi Stadium | Inglewood | Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, major events | About 70,000, expandable toward 100,000 |
| Intuit Dome | Inglewood | LA Clippers, opened August 2024 | About 18,000 |
| Kia Forum | Inglewood | Concerts and events | About 17,500 |
| Dignity Health Sports Park | Carson | LA Galaxy, national team matches, track and tennis | Up to 27,000 |
| UCLA Health Training Center | El Segundo | South Bay Lakers | 750 |
From the beach cities, Inglewood is a straightforward drive up the 405 or along Manchester, and Carson is a short run east. The practical caution is the same for all of them: on event nights the surrounding surface streets back up well beyond the venue, and SoFi and Intuit Dome sit close enough together that a doubled-up night compounds it. Check whether both are hosting before you plan a route through Inglewood, and consider the Metro C and K Lines instead.
What about women’s professional sport?
The picture is changing quickly, and the South Bay is at the center of it.
The Los Angeles Sparks are building their permanent home in El Segundo, a $150 million headquarters and practice facility on Rosecrans Avenue due to open in 2027, reported as the largest investment ever made in a single women’s sports team. For a franchise that went thirty seasons without a dedicated practice home, it is a significant statement, and it puts a WNBA team’s daily operations in the South Bay.
Angel City FC plays in the National Women’s Soccer League at BMO Stadium in Exposition Park, a 22,000 seat stadium it shares with LAFC, and has drawn some of the strongest crowds in the league since it began play.
Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson has a long history of hosting United States national team matches on both the men’s and women’s sides, which makes it the closest venue where a women’s international is likely to be played.
At the youth and club level the South Bay is already strong on the women’s side. Girls’ club soccer, volleyball and water polo here are as competitive as anywhere in California, and beach volleyball in Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach has produced Olympians on both the men’s and women’s sides for decades.
What is there at the amateur and college level?
- Beach volleyball. The South Bay is one of the sport’s global centers. The Manhattan Beach Open is among the oldest and most prestigious events in the sport.
- El Camino College, Torrance. Community college athletics with a serious record across multiple sports, free or inexpensive to attend.
- High school programs. Local schools compete at a high level in volleyball, water polo, swimming, track, soccer, lacrosse, golf and tennis. Games are free and they are the fullest expression of how seriously this area takes sport.
- Surfing and paddling. Competitive year round, with the International Surf Festival as the annual centerpiece.
What is coming in 2028?
The Olympic Games return to Los Angeles in 2028 and the venues above are central to the plan. That changes transit, hotel demand and traffic in the South Bay well before the opening ceremony. We cover what is confirmed and where in our guide to the 2028 Olympic events in the South Bay.
Facilities under construction, team affiliations, venue names and capacities all change, and naming rights change most often of all. The Sparks facility is under construction with a stated 2027 opening. Details were verified against team, venue and league sources in September 2026. Confirm schedules and ticketing with the venue.