The North American Grappling Association (NAGA) will be returning to Foley Event Center for the U.S. National Grappling Championship on July 24 and with it comes more of a return to normalcy.
NAGA Vice President Joe Cuff said the competition is expecting between 400 and 500 participants from around the region. He said NAGA offers such a wide range of skill levels, ages, and weights that there is truly something for everyone.
This year, Cuff said, the tournament will be returning to the format it utilized pre-pandemic, which is a good thing because participation numbers have definitely gotten back on track.
“Unlike last year when we had to use sessions in order to limit the occupancy of the building due to COVID, we are able to run our tournament in a normal fashion,” Cuff explained. “We have returned to normal numbers and have in some cases exceeded average attendance numbers.”
Foley Sports Tourism Event Operations Coordinator Meagan McVicker said the entire team is excited to have NAGA back and to see the event grow.
“This is the third year we’ve held this event,” McVicker said. “The first year was so promising and then COVID hit for year two. We weren’t sure how things would go. But NAGA worked closely with us to make sure everyone who attended was safe and things went very well. Now it’s great to see that we are moving back into that promising direction and hope to continue to see growth each year.”
The U.S. National Grappling Championship runs all day July 24 at the Foley Event Center. There is a $15 charge for spectators. For more information on this competition or any FST event visit our events page.
