Connect Sports, The Sports & Event Corporation, and Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors are joining forces once again with The Alliance Fastpitch to present the 5th Annual Alliance Fastpitch Open Nationals.
This six-day tournament will draw more than 200 teams from 30 states to the Scenic City, including squads traveling from California, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, and Texas. Competitors will battle for National Championship titles across the 14U, 16U, and 18U age divisions, culminating in the final title matches on Sunday, July 26th at Warner Park.
According to Jeremy Higdon, Co-Owner of Connect Sports, Chattanooga has a rich tradition of welcoming fastpitch National Championships, and they are thrilled to integrate the Alliance Fastpitch Open Championship into that history. He noted that the competitive level at AFON intensifies with each passing year, and the final contenders will showcase tomorrow's college stars who are bound for televised games. Furthermore, he added that welcoming players, coaches, and families from across the nation to experience their beautiful city is a wonderful privilege.
Day Zero marks the first day of the event on Tuesday, July 21st, and is dedicated to the players with a schedule full of fun and competition. AFON is once again incorporating the AFON Ultimate Athlete Challenge. Starting at 1:00 PM EST at Frost Stadium, this challenge is open to all attending athletes at no cost. Competitors will face off within their age divisions in various skills, including throwing accuracy, hitting velocity, and base running times. The highly anticipated crowning of the 2nd annual AFON Ultimate Athlete will take place later that Tuesday evening.
From 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Warner Park, athletes can participate in the multi-program AFON College Camps before the tournament officially commences. Directed by various college coaches from institutions like the University of Tennessee Southern, Johnson University, and Maryville College, this camp provides players with a valuable opportunity to learn from, work alongside, and showcase their talents directly in front of collegiate coaches.
The Alliance Fastpitch Open Nationals (AFON) will take place at several locations: Warner Park, The Summit of Softball, Camp Jordan, Jack Mattox Park, Poplar Springs, Boynton Recreation, and Heritage Park in Dalton. Pool Games will begin on Wednesday morning and the double elimination bracket will begin for most teams starting on Thursday evening. Championship games for all divisions are set for Sunday at Warner Park.
The public is welcome to attend and watch these teams compete for the National Championship title at no charge. For more details about AFON and to view the tournament schedule, please visit their website at www.allianceopennationals.com.
The ongoing collaboration among The Alliance Fastpitch, Connect Sports, The Sports & Event Corporation, and Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors continues to expand. Following the success of this event and their strong partnership, multiple future Alliance Fastpitch tournaments in Chattanooga are currently being planned.