Recreation

NCAA Division I Softball coming to Leesburg

LEESBURG, FL – Leesburg’s Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex will be the site of NCAA Division I softball in February and March. In conjunction with THE Spring Games organization, more than a dozen college softball teams from across the county will be participating in this unrivaled collegiate softball event. The games will take place over four weekends.

The annual THE Spring Games match-ups are scheduled for February 12-14 and March 5-7. Participants for the first weekend include the University of Pittsburg, New Mexico State, Liberty University and Middle Tennessee University. Teams for the March 5-7 games are still being determined. These out of conference games will count toward the teams’ regular season records.

An exciting addition for this year’s lineup is teams from the Big 10. Due to COVID-19, the Big 10 sought a neutral location where conference games could be played in a bubble-type atmosphere. Through a partnership with THE Spring Games and Lake County, Leesburg was selected to host this event. The Big 10 schools will play 84 games over a span of six days on the weekends of February 26-28 and March 12-14. 

To meet the requirements of the Big 10, some modifications were needed to the fields at Sleepy Hollow including temporary outfield fencing and expansion of batting cages, bullpens and dugouts. These upgrades not only made this year’s games possible, they are an investment in the future. Several Big 10 teams along with other Division I softball entities have agreed to bring games back to Leesburg for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Grant dollars from the Lake County Tourist Development Council helped fund the improvements.

“Leesburg is thrilled to be selected to host these exciting events at our Sleepy Hollow facility,” said Mayor John Christian. “This is a significant economic development opportunity for the entire community in terms of generating sports tourism dollars and would not have been possible without our collaboration with THE Spring Games and Lake County. We are very excited to welcome all the athletes, their families and fans to our city.”

COVID-19 protocols will limit the number of spectators allowed at games. Availability of general admission tickets will vary each weekend. For tickets or additional information, please visit www.thespringgames.com.

Leesburg is a progressive city of more than 23,000 residents in northwest Lake County. The city government serves twice as many people with its electric, gas, water and wastewater public utilities. Leesburg is also a central hub for commerce, attracting 50,000 people to work each weekday. For more information, visit www.leesburgflorida.gov.

•


Leesburg Parks & Recreation receives Excellence in Sports Tourism award

 LEESBURG, FL - Leesburg’s Parks and Recreation Department received the 2020 “Excellence in Sports Tourism, Small Market” award from the Florida Recreation and Parks Association. The award, accepted by Parks and Recreation Director Travis Rima at the FRPA Awards and Installation Banquet on September 2, recognizes the city’s efforts to support sports tourism.

 Leesburg was nominated for the award by the Greater Orlando Sports Commission.  The nomination form cited the city’s $11.2 million investment in upgrades to Venetian Gardens which has helped make Leesburg one of the top venues in the southeast for hosting local, regional, and national fishing events. The commitment of time and resources by staff to ensure the expectations of event organizers are met and the importance of the partnership between the elected officials of Leesburg and Lake County was also noted.

 “This award is a great achievement for not only the Leesburg Recreation Department, but for the entire City of Leesburg. Attracting and retaining sports tourism events is a team effort that starts with the leadership from the Mayor and Commissioners and our City Manager, Al Minner,” said Rima. “The Lake County BOCC, Greater Orlando Sports Commission and Visit Lake are also an integral part of the process.”

 In the last fiscal year the city partnered with Visit Lake and the Greater Orlando Sports Commission to host seven fishing tournaments that generated nearly $5 million in economic impact to the area. In the coming months, additional major fishing events are scheduled to take place at Venetian Gardens and the Harris Chain of Lakes including the 2020 Carhartt Bassmaster College Team Championship and the 2020 Bassmaster Team Championship.

 “On behalf of our staff and board of directors, we offer a heart-felt congratulations to the City of Leesburg’s Parks and Recreation Department that was recognized by their industry peers who voted on this prestigious award,” says Jason Siegel, President & CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission. “It is a well-deserved win for their outstanding and dedicated team led by Parks Director Travis Rima. We look forward to continuing our relationship with the Parks Department and the City of Leesburg to bring events, visitors and economic impact to the region.”