The Hoover Met Complex, managed by The Sports Facilities Management, recently announced that it will be host the first annual USA Pickleball National Indoor Championships in June 2020.
The five-day event will take place June 9 -13, 2020 in the Finley Center in Hoover. While it is an inaugural event, the Hoover Met has previously hosted pickle ball events, including the Heritage Classic in August of 2019.
“The Finley Center is a wonderful place for all kinds of events. Pickleball is no exception,” said Hoover Mayor Frank V. Brocato.
According to Jack Adams, vice president of venue planning, the national recognition of the sport is on the rise.
“Once just a niche community sport, pickleball is picking up team and we are running numerous pickleball league and tournament events across the country,” Adams said. “SFM is thrilled to partner with USA Pickleball in bringing this extraordinary event to Hoover.”
The Indoor Nationals will feature singles, doubles and mixed doubles events covering a variety of skill and age brackets. USA Pickleball officials expect to draw more than 1,000 competitors and associated visitors during the event.
“There were several factors that brought us to Hoover, the beautiful facility and the surrounding area – especially the RV park right there at the venue,” said Karen Parrish, USA Pickleball managing director of competition. “Where else can you walk from the front door and literally take about 100 steps and you are sitting in your RV with full hook up capabilities? The spacious facility will allow us to have 32 courts and a championship court with stadium seating surrounding the court. The advantage of having a walking track where you can watch any match from anywhere inside the venue is also extraordinary. In addition, the team of staff and volunteers there at Hoover Met Complex have been accommodating in providing an experience that makes the planning process run smoothly.”
Registration will open on Jan. 15 on pickleballtournaments.com.
