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Diamond Lakes Regional Park is set to hold Augusta's biggest softball tournament

Friday, July 22, 2016
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) –Next month Diamond Lakes Regional Park will host Augusta’s largest softball tournament ever.

Starting Augusta 11th, Diamond Lakes is expected to be packed with people from all over the world. Between 115 to 130 softball teams are coming to Augusta sports facilities.

“They are coming from all around the world. In addition to just here in the US we’ve got teams committed from Guam, from Japan, from Germany,” Augusta Parks Deputy Director Gary Hegner said.

Augusta City Administrator Janice Allen Jackson says it’s sports tourism she wants the city to capitalize on.

“During my time as a sports mom I’ve noticed you go to various hotels, city to city,” Jackson said.

This one event is expected to bring in 5 million dollars.

“While it’s good just to have those activities for fun it’s also good having those activities as an economic driver,” Jackson said.

To bring people back and create a sports tourism market, the city plans to invest in the park over the next decade. They are considering adding soccer fields, an outdoor swimming pool, trails, and more to Augusta’s only regional park.

“When we start putting our collective efforts together that’s when we can start getting the marketing out and getting known out there in the sports world,” Jackson said.

Now the city is working to make sure this tournament goes smoothly so they will be recognized by other tournaments too.

“Parents and families aren’t shy about telling you what they liked and what they didn’t like,” Jackson said.

“It’s competitive because there is a lot cities out there that would like to host them just like we would,” Jackson said.

“If you figure 130 teams and lets just say on average that’s about 15 or 18 people per team and you start doing the math and factor in the family members that come along you know you’re up in the thousands of people,” Hegner said.

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Source: News