In partnership with the City of Salinas , the California Rodeo Association designed the Salinas Sports Complex to host not only the Rodeo but a wide variety of community and sports events that include concerts, football games, soccer games, motor events, festivals, and graduations.

The complex is located on 80 acres in Sherwood Park on land owned by the City of Salinas . The California Rodeo Association holds a 50 year lease with the City to run and maintain the facilities. For years the grounds were used only for staging the California Rodeo, while today the Salinas Sports Complex is a year round hub of activity.

Sherwood Park has been the home of the California Rodeo since 1911. Donated to the City by the Sherwood family in the late 1800s, the California Rodeo grew out of the donation's only stipulation: that a horse race be run on the grounds at least once every two years. The grandstands, racetrack and barns were constructed in 1924 and remained intact until the wooden grandstand structure was condemned in 1996. Faced with a difficult decision, the Rodeo Association chose not only to rebuild the grandstands but to raise funds to build a facility that could be used year round, adding to the longstanding tradition of the California Rodeo. Fundraising efforts for the new facilities reached almost 9 million dollars. The Association moved quickly and within a year of tearing down the old grandstands in 1996, the new facility was operating. The result of their work was the Salinas Spots Complex; a year round facility for the community to host family entertainment and sporting events.