Women’s Soccer Championship Coming To Foley Sports Tourism Complex For 2016 & 2017
NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference announced today a plan to host the Sun Belt Women’s Soccer Championship at a neutral site in Foley, Alabama for the next two years beginning with the 2016 championship. The eight-team tournament will be held November 2-6 at the newly opened Foley Sports Tourism Complex.
“The Alabama Gulf Coast is one of the premier destinations in the South, and hosting the Sun Belt Conference Women’s Soccer Championship there is a great way to showcase this brand new state-of-the-art facility and the talent of our exceptional student-athletes. We are excited to host our championship at this great venue and the city of Foley, Alabama,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson.
Photo: Sun Belt Conference
The 2016 season marks the 17th year the Women’s Soccer Championship has been held. It will also be the first year the tournament will be held at a neutral site. South Alabama won the tournament title in 2015 becoming the second team in league history to win three or more consecutive Sun Belt women’s soccer tournament titles.
The Foley Sports Tourism Complex is a brand new state-of-the-art complex that features 16 multi-purpose fields designed for soccer, lacrosse, and other competitive field sports. Additional enhancements like the Foley Event Center, slated to open May 2017, will feature ample indoor space to host volleyball, basketball, gymnastics tournaments and more.
The Sun Belt Women’s Soccer Championship will be one of the first collegiate championship events held at the recently completed Foley Sports Tourism Complex. More information on the facility can be found by visiting http://foleysports.wpengine.com/.
“We are delighted that the Sun Belt Conference has chosen the City of Foley and our brand new Foley Sports Tourism Complex as the host destination for one of its signature events,” said City of Foley Executive Director of Sports Don Staley. “The week-long event will provide an economic boost to our region during a traditionally slow time of the year, while also giving visitors a chance to experience the Alabama Gulf Coast and our world-class attractions.”
ABOUT THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE
Photo: USA Athletics
The Sun Belt Conference’s “Together We Rise” motto isn’t just hyperbole. It’s proven fact on many different levels, not the least being its place in the hierarchy of collegiate athletics. As the league prepares to celebrate four decades since its founding in 1976, the Sun Belt occupies a “seat at the table” as a permanent part of the NCAA’s 24-member Board of Directors. That alone insures that the conference has a voice in determining the future as college sports continues to change and evolve.
Opportunities for Sun Belt student-athletes to succeed both on and off the field have never been greater, and the Sun Belt is well positioned in the areas of scholarship, student welfare and academic success. During the 2014-15 academic year alone, Sun Belt member institutions awarded nearly $50 million in scholarship funds to over 3,084 student-athletes while also contributing over $2 million from the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) to over 1,779 student-athletes.
The Sun Belt Conference’s membership consists of 11 football members – Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Idaho, UL Lafayette, UL Monroe, New Mexico State, South Alabama, Texas State and Troy. Little Rock and UT Arlington compete in all-sports as non-football members while Idaho and New Mexico State are football only members. Coastal Carolina will join the Sun Belt Conference in all sports but football in 2016. The CCU football program will begin Sun Belt play in 2018.
For more information on the Sun Belt Conference, visit www.sunbeltsports.org.
About Foley Sports Tourism Complex
Foley Sports Tourism Complex is a proposed sports destination, unlike any other, designed with the athlete and their fans in mind. Our mild climate makes the outdoor complex ideal for year-round play. Not to mention, the facilities are located only 9 short miles from Alabama’s beautiful Gulf Coast! Opening May 2016, the outdoor complex will feature 16, state-of-the-art, multi-purpose fields designed for soccer, lacrosse, and other competitive field sports. While the Foley Event Center, slated to open May 2017, will feature ample indoor space to host volleyball, basketball, gymnastics tournaments and more.
To top off our exciting sports complex, an adjacent family-friendly entertainment destination will soon be underway. The destination will feature something for every age whether it’s thrills and chills in the theme park to name brand hotels with conference facilities to a variety of dining and shopping opportunities.
Stay tuned to our exciting project updates by visiting http://foleysports.wpengine.com/ or like us on Facebook.
