WM giving Southland Classic another at-bat

WM giving Southland Classic another at-bat

Softball promoter secures funding for June tourney

news@theeveningtimes.com

He’s ba-ack! Southland Classic softball tournament organizer Clint Albright pitched the renewal of the annual competition to the West Memphis Advertising and Promotions Commission at the January meeting. Albright unveiled innovations to spur tournament growth. Prize packages including clothing, paid berths in other tournaments and a chance to line up against a very special team highlighted the plans to improve team sign-ups. Last year the tourney failed to muster the predicted number of teams. The new elements designed to grow the tourney were linked to a traditional Friday night reception at Southland.

“The tournament is for adults,” said Albright.

“Quite frankly, Southland is the kind of entertainment that attract teams,” said Albright. Controversy erupted last year when no contract between Albright and the West Memphis Parks and Recreation Department was ever inked. Misunderstandings about field crews, and private food truck vendor at Tilden Rodgers Park, along with a move to the Marion Sports Complex took West Memphis officials by surprise. The whole mess was rehashed at the January A& P as commissioners considered the new funding request.

The promoter planned for an expanded field and expected to have four adult divisions playing through brackets including a first ever women’s division. He said a modest start of ten women’s teams would be a big boost to tournament attendance and tourism dollars.

“We haven’t had any women’s teams here in the past,” said Albright.

“We’ve had 30 teams from all over the country at our Busch Classic in Little Rock. These will all be new teams that help us enlarge.

Women travel with a bigger traveling squad. Those things are good, it allows us to reach out to a different part of softball and add teams.”

The promoter asked the A& P for $5,000 to promote the round robin and offered renewed hope to consummate a contract to base the games at the Marion Rose Softball Complex in Tilden Rodgers Park with the some preliminary games and the women’s division tournament at the

City of Marion Sports

Complex.

The A& P side stepped the controversy with the parks department last year satisfied with positive exit survey results which demonstrated tournament teams used hotels and frequented restaurants in the city. Commissioners were pleased that the city businesses were well promoted by Albright and well used by teams last spring.

Albright asked the A& P for reimbursements for promoting the tournament. Social media aimed at young adult softball players was a key part of his plan. Eblasts and text messages to over 1,000 coaches, ads on softball websites in adjacent states, phone bank calls, Facebook posts, and old fashioned handbills all play a role in the promoters plan.

“These funds we use for the tournament are very important,” said Albright, “All these players are Millennials. I am in marketing and we have to use a strong online presence. The money the commission gives is used for outreach to attract them. We have to get after them early and often and sell them on the positive aspects of playing here and that’s how we enlarge.”

The A& P approved the funding request and Albright set out to secure a contracts for June 17-18 at softball fields in both Marion and West Memphis.

By John Rech