Mesa officials announced another year of record-breaking attendance records for Chicago Cubs spring training season. 

The team attracted more than 225,663 fans to 15 Cactus League games last month at Sloan Park.That is up 1.5 percent from 2015.

The Cubs averaged 15,044 people per game, beating 2015’s attendance records of 222,415 and 14,828 respectively.

The Cubs drew the largest single-game crowd in Cactus League spring-training history with a record 15,469 fans attending the game against the Oakland Athletics, surpassing last year’s record of 15,342 against the Chicago White Sox.

 “We call spring training our second Christmas season for Mesa because of the positive lift in sales for our hotels, restaurants and retail stores,” said Bill Jabjiniak, Mesa Economic Development Director said. 

Spring training is a driving force in Arizona’s economy, generating more than $809 million in economic impact for the state, according to a 2015 study by FMR Associates that was commissioned by the Cactus League Association.

Included in that number is more than $544 million that results from out-of-state Cactus League fans attending games at 10 metro Phoenix area ballparks, including two in Mesa.

This is the Cubs third season in the newly built Sloan Park located in northwest Mesa’s Riverview area at Dobson Road and Rio Salado Parkway.

This was the second spring for the Oakland A’s at the refurbished Hohokam Park in Mesa.