Bloomington, Indiana, to Host National Softball Tournaments in 2022, 2023
Four events over next two years scheduled to be in destination
Posted On: November 23, 2021 By :The Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department and partner Visit Bloomington will host USA Softball national championship tournaments in both 2022 and 2023.
In 2022, Bloomington will host three tournaments, concurrently in July: The USA Softball Girls’ 14-under Class B Fastpitch Northern National, Girls’ 12-under Class A Fastpitch Northern National, and the Girls’ 10-under Class B Fastpitch Northern National. Bloomington was also awarded the 2023 Girls’ 16-under Class B Fastpitch Northern National Championship to take place in July 2023.
National tournament games will be held at Twin Lakes Sports Park and Winslow Sports Complex. Tournaments scheduled to take place in Bloomington in 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the pandemic.
“Congratulations to the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department for securing another USA Softball Championship,” said Mike McAfee, Executive Director of Visit Bloomington. “Successfully recruiting and hosting youth sports tournaments is a competitive and challenging business and they are very good at it. The positive impact these events have on the economy and quality of life in our community are significant and we are grateful to support the parks department on these efforts.”
The city of Bloomington and Visit Bloomington have successfully bid to host at least one national softball tournament every year since the Twin Lakes Sports Park was completed in 1993 except for 2005, 2020 and 2021. Economic impact generated by national softball tournaments is significant for the Bloomington community. Depending on the number of competing teams, national softball tournaments have generated anywhere from an estimated $250,000 to more than $2 million for the Bloomington economy.
“After a couple of years without it, it’s wonderful to have the summer fastpitch tournament to look forward to again,” said Mayor John Hamilton. “Bloomington is especially proud to support young women in sports. We look forward to hosting them and their families and enjoying the excitement of the tournament for another two summers in our city.”
Posted in: Latest News, Recently Awarded, Softball, Sports Organizations, Youth Sports