Lee County will host Senior Softball-USA’s (SSUSA) 16th annual Winter National Championships, taking place Tuesday, Nov. 1, through Sunday, Nov. 6. Teams will compete at top-notch softball complexes throughout Lee and Collier counties, including the CenturyLink Sports Complex in Fort Myers, the Northwest Softball Complex and Cape Coral Sports Complex in Cape Coral and North Collier Regional Park in Naples. Men’s 65, 70, 75, 80 and 85 divisions will compete Nov. 1-3 and Men’s 40, 50, 55 and 60 divisions will compete Nov. 4-6. Winners in each division will qualify for the Tournament of Champions, taking place in Florida in 2017.
More than 150 teams from across the country are anticipated to compete in the tournament. Last year’s event generated more than 6,000 hotel room nights and $1.8 million in direct visitor spending.
“We are honored to once again host the annual Winter National Championships here in Southwest Florida,” said Jeff Mielke, executive director of Lee County Sports Development. “Our 15-year partnership with SSUSA has resulted in many great tournaments for sports lovers and the community to enjoy, and we look forward to another excellent competition.”
“Lee County provides the perfect environment for our first premier Senior Softball Tournament of the season,” said Terry Hennessy, SSUSA’s chief executive officer. “Great fields, perfect weather and large divisions for the best competition east of the Mississippi River.”
For more information, visit SSUSA’s website at www.seniorsoftball.com.
Lee County Sports Development was created in 2003 to meet the growing demand for sports development in Lee County, and is recognized by the Florida Sports Foundation as one of the state’s 25 Regional Sports Commissions. The Lee County Sports Development office leads the recruitment and implementation of amateur and professional sports events and activities in Lee County, with the goal of providing economic impact to Lee County. Through local partnerships with Lee County Parks & Recreation and others, the Lee County Sports Development office provides services designed to address the needs of local, national and international sports entities including housing, access to venues, event management, transportation assistance, event promotion, marketing and local sponsorship opportunities. For more information, call 239-533-5273 or visit www.leegov.com/sports.
