It may be summer break, but that’s not stopping high school volleyball teams from heading to the Foley Event Center for friendly competition at the McGill-Toolen Summer Play Date, July 22 -23.
Tournament Director and McGill-Toolen head volleyball coach, Kate Wood, said they expect 48 teams from Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and of course, Alabama. Wood anticipates intense matches in both varsity and junior varsity categories with schools like Archbishop Chapelle, Bob Jones, and Spanish Fort set to attend. The high-level competition is what has given this event notoriety.
“This is a premier high school play date, which means teams are scrimmaging against each other in preparation for their seasons,” Wood said. “We will have officials at the matches, but the most important piece is getting these teams ready to compete for state championships. This is one of the largest play dates in the Southeast.”
In fact, one simply has to look at the attendance to see how much the event has grown over the last two years. In 2018, 20 varsity and 10 JV teams participated. This year, 32 varsity and 16 JV teams have registered and there’s a waiting list in case any spot becomes available.
Foley Sports Tourism (FST) Event Operations Coordinator Luke Persall detailed how the FST staff continues to look for ways to keep visitors coming back with the energy the playdate offers from year to year.
“We are committed to being state-of-the-art, not just in our facilities, but in what we offer to participants,” Persall said. “These players compete in high-level competitions around the southeast. We want to make sure their experience in Foley stands out as one of the best each season.”
The McGill-Toolen Summer Play Date runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days. It is open to the public and there is a $5 admission charge.
For more information on this tournament or any FST event, please visit our event page.
