Youth football showcase fills local hotels this weekend
By Gene Ballew, Athletics & Tourism Manager
Now that the Super Bowl buzz is wearing off, College Station welcomes 120 youth football teams to Veterans Park and Athletic Complex this weekend for the Texas Youth Football All Star Showcase.
The tournament includes 3,500 football and 250 cheer athletes from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Arizona. The influx of about 8,000 visitors for the event has filled local hotels to capacity.
Participants are selected from 21 regions, and the winners of each age division (7U/8U/9U/10U/11U/12U/13U) are invited to the National Youth Football All Star Showcase this summer in San Antonio.
Here’s the schedule:
- Friday: Check-In & Opening Ceremonies: 3-8 p.m.
- Saturday: Games: 8 a.m.-7:15 p.m.; Cheer Competition: 2:15-3:15 p.m.
- Sunday: Games: 8 a.m.-7:15 p.m.; Cheer Competition: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Monday: Championship Games: 1-3 p.m.
Heavy traffic and delays are expected in and around the complex. Organizers have imposed a $40 gate fee for entrance, and mask-wearing is mandatory for all athletes, coaches, and spectators unless they are on the field playing.
Local Impact
The economic impact is similar to the 2019 Games of Texas, but the showcase is being played at a single facility.
The Parks & Recreation Department has had exhaustive meetings with health officials and tournament organizers to ensure established safety guidelines and protocols are met or exceeded. The city is responsible for cleaning and maintaining our facilities, while tournament organizers will provide city-approved safety guidelines and protocols for participants and spectators.
We’ll continue to adapt to the evolving situation by adjusting operations. Our overriding mission is to safely attract customers to town while helping our residents and businesses recover from the pandemic.
If you encounter these visitors in our city, please thank them for being here and wish them an enjoyable stay!
About the Blogger
Gene Ballew has been with the Parks and Recreation Department for 14 years and is in his fourth year as the athletics and tourism manager. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management from Texas A&M in 2008.
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Outlook bright for spring sports leagues, tourism
By Gene Ballew, Athletics & Tourism Manager
With a new year comes a fresh beginning as we search for some form of normalcy and getting back to the activities we enjoy. Things may never be the same, but our love for sports and recreation remains.
As registration opens for our spring activities, we’re trying to resume the indoor and outdoor programs that have been impacted. We’ve adjusted some of our rules, and we’ve added a few programs and activities. Still, our commitment to offering great programs hasn’t changed.
Here’s a list of our upcoming sports programs:
Youth Programs
- Winter Youth Basketball (Jan. 12-March 11) — register by Jan. 3
- Friday Night Lights 7v7 Football (March 5-April 30) — register by Feb. 28
- Junior Beginner Tennis (March 22-April 29) — register by March 28
- High-Performance Tennis Academy (March 24-April 28) — register by March 28
- Junior Intermediate Tennis (March 25-April 29) — register by March 28
- Field Hockey Clinic (April 5, 7) — register by March 28
Adult Programs
- Coed Kickball League (March 3-May 12) — register by Feb. 14
- Softball League (March 1-May 13) — register by Feb. 14
- Volleyball League (March 23-May 20) — register by March 7
- Beginner Tennis (March 23-May 2) — register by March 28
- Round-Robin Tennis League (March 23-April 27) — register by March 28
- Competitive Drill Tennis (March 28-May 2) — register by March 28
- Intermediate Tennis (March 28-May 2) — register by March 28
Sports Tourism
We’re also welcoming new events as we continue to support established events to boost our economy through sports tourism. Here’s a look at the events coming to town this spring:
- Cavalry Soccer
- Texas Football All-Star Showcase
- Bryan HS Girls Softball
- Triple Crown
- South Texas Youth Soccer
- Premier Girls Fast-Pitch
- USSSA Softball
- Softball Players Association
- 5 Tool Softball Sports
- U.S. Club Soccer
It’s going to be a busy spring, and we can’t wait to see you competing and spectating on our fields and courts. Please share with your friends and neighbors to encourage them to signup for their favorite sport, too!
For more information, go to cstx.gov/sports.
About the Blogger Gene Ballew has been with the Parks and Recreation Department for 14 years and is in his fourth year as the athletics and tourism manager. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management from Texas A&M in 2008.
If you found value in this blog post, please share it with your social network and friends!
Rescheduled summer sports events can help us recover
By Gene Ballew, Athletics & Tourism Manager
What does a sports event or tournament look like in the era of COVID-19? As participants, coaches, and spectators, we’ll soon find out.
Through his executive orders, Gov. Greg Abbott has paved the way for adult and youth sports competitions to begin. The City of College Station will host its first tournament June 19-21 with more than 100 girls’ softball teams from around the state.
The challenges of recent months have led us to this point. Typically, our tournament season ramps up in April and runs through the end of July. Since the pandemic began, our goal has been to bring tourism back to College Station while maintaining the safety of our citizens, guests, and staff.
Our department has had exhaustive meetings with local health officials and tournament organizers to ensure safety guidelines and protocols laid out by the governor and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are met or exceeded. The city is responsible for cleaning and maintaining our facilities, while tournament organizers will provide city-approved safety guidelines and protocols for participants and spectators.
In March, we halted eight tournaments slated to bring about 400 teams to town. Our team worked diligently to reschedule several of the events, allowing us to keep about 300 teams. Along with three new tournaments — attracting about 150 teams — we maintained millions of dollars of economic impact in our community.
Here’s a look at our summer schedule:
- June 19-21 — Texas State Championships and Southwest Regional Showcase
- June 27-28 — Tournament of Champions 7v7 Football
- June 27-28 — USSSA Budweiser Invitational
- June 30-July 3 — Battle for Texas 7v7 Football
- July 7-12 — SSUSA Senior Softball
- July 11-12 —The Summer Games 2020
- July 17-19 — Texas State Championships and Southwest Regional Showcase
- Aug. 1-2 — The Summer Games 2020
- Aug. 29-30 — Aggieland Friendship Cup
We’ll continue to adapt to the evolving situation by adjusting our operations. Our overriding mission is to safely bring customers to town while helping our residents and businesses recover.
About the Blogger
Gene Ballew has been with the Parks and Recreation Department for 13 years and is in his third year as the athletics and tourism manager. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management from Texas A&M in 2008.
If you found value in this blog post, please share it with your social network and friends!
