BALL TOURNAMENTS IMPACT LOCAL ECONOMY

STORY BY BRITTANY SMITH & PHOTOS BY JAKE ARTHUR

Youth sports have become a significant part of today’s society, and recreational teams steadily bring in more and more kids each year; however, travel and club levels are skyrocketing. For Alexander City, a recent influx of tourism due to travel and club tournaments has had a giant impact on the local economy.

On May 22, a 3-day USA Softball tournament, hosting 38 teams from all over the Southeast, came to Alexander City to play ball at the Charles E. Bailey Sportplex.

The Sportplex boasts 212 acres and can accommodate multiple tournament types from baseball and softball to basketball, football and even archery. But that is not all. The Sportplex houses nine baseball/softball fields, a horse ring, an archery range, a football stadium, a disc golf course and a gymnasium. These facilities are readily available and are tournament-capable. The facility also offers a dog park, splash pad, 3-mile nature trail and a senior center.

It is a great place to bring the family and an even better place to play ball, take a hike or ride a horse.

Sonny Wilson, director of parks and recreation at the sportplex, estimated that about 2,000 visitors came to Alexander City for the USA Softball tournament in May. Because of this opportunity, there were 2,000 additional people in the city for the weekend. When visitors come, they drive local roads, shop at local shops and eat at local restaurants. Most of the foot traffic on tournament weekends is from out of towners, and it is a given that when this many people visit Alexander City, businesses will see an increase in profit.

“Brandy Hastings, with Lake Martin Tourism, has been very good about letting our business owners know when a tournament is coming to town so that they can be prepared,” Wilson said. “She has done a great job notifying those businesses and making sure that they are ready. We’ve never had that in the past, and our business owners appreciate it. It is a great thing.”

But the business owners are not the only people who appreciate the welcoming atmosphere. The USA Softball organization will return two more times throughout the summer to host other events at the sportplex because of the central location and welcoming atmosphere that the city and the locals offer.

In addition to the USA Softball organization, Alexander City hosted the Caba Baseball Memorial Day tournament, which brought in additional revenue to the area, and is slated to host the Fourth of July tournament for Caba as well.

In addition, the Sportplex will also host two Cal Ripkin State Tournaments and the JD Crowe Grand Slam in June and July. These large organizations are coming to Alexander City because of the facilities at the sportplex, its capabilities of hosting huge tournaments and the community’s preparedness.

“We went around after the last USA Softball tournament weekend and asked local businesses if they had seen an uptick in foot traffic, and they said they definitely had seen more foot traffic, but they were ready for it,” Wilson said.

Visitor Impact

Previous Pages: Wilson said that for every ball player, three to four family members travel with them; Below: Teams travel from all over the Southeast to play ball at the sportplex.

“The sports tournaments are super important to tourism, and we are working hard to make the teams feel welcome when they arrive,” Hastings said. “We are promoting dining in Alexander City, and I’m working with Nick to make sure that all participants get an email before and a thank you letter after each tournament.”

Hastings said she prepares welcome bags for the coaches so that when they arrive in town, they have a point of reference for all places Alexander City and can direct players and their families, if need be, to restaurants, shops and lodging.

In the coming weeks, an empty lot at the sportplex will be converted into an area that provides RV hookups. Families will be able to stay at the facility on tournament weekends.

“We have space for people to put their campers. We also have the capabilities to create RV hookups. The lot already has water, electricity and sewage. We just have to get it campsite ready,” Wilson said. “And that can all be done in-house. Once the lot has been converted and could house campers, families would have a place to stay when they come for tournaments.”

Wilson said that it was easy for these families to find a hotel or stay at Wind Creek State Park while in town in the past. Since COVID-19, traffic has been abundant to the lake, and finding a place to stay has become more difficult for the teams and their families.

“If we want to keep these tournaments coming to Alex City, we have to be able to accommodate the teams and their fans,” Wilson said. “Right now, that is a hard thing to do. We need more spaces.”

For Alexander City, more places to stay would mean more teams on tournament weekends. More teams on tournament weekends would mean more foot traffic in

Winner Takes All Top: Fans gather the city, and more foot traffic only means one thing: More money for the local economy. around to watch In partnership with Lake Martin Tourism, Alexander an action-packed City is doing its part to ensure that the community game; Below: accurately prepares for the crowds that the tournaments Teammates cheer as the game heats up. bring to town. From sending emails, packing goody bags and calling business owners to work on fields, creating campsites out of thin air, and maintaining facilities while hosting directors, coaches or officials complimentary of the city at the guesthouse. Suppose there is a deterrent for organizations to bring their tournament to Alexander City. In that case, it lies with the lack of lodging. And while there is a plan in store for that, the sportplex cannot accommodate all tournament travelers; however, Alexander City is growing and continuing to see the benefits that travel tournaments bring to the area. “Most of our tournaments are from 15- to 20 teams, but a few times a year, we get the really big ones,” Wilson said. “And it’s important that the community is ready for the teams.”