Lake Myrtle Park - Auburndale, FL

Disney Soccer Showcase presented by AS Roma

JRoberts — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:23:27 +0000

This FYSA sanctioned event for U15-U18 teams takes place at the HESS Sports Fields at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex with additional facilities including the Lake Myrtle Sports Park in Auburndale.

Boys: December 26 – 30
Girls: December 30 – January 3

Disney Soccer Showcase Tournament Information

Welcome to the Proving Ground! Disney’s Soccer Showcase is the ultimate place for top clubs to be seen by hundreds of college coaches looking for great soccer talent. Rated #1 youth soccer tournament in the U.S. in a Soccer America survey, Disney’s Soccer Showcase gives athletes a chance to shine on one of the biggest stages set for youth soccer in this country.

All Disney Soccer Tournaments Include:

Professionally maintained fields
Minimum 3-game guarantee
Certified referees
Presence of athletic trainers, provided by South Lake Hospital, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
Ice water at each field
Game balls
Awards presented to 1st-4th place teams for Groups of 7 or more teams, 1st & 2nd for groups of 6 or fewer teams

Additional Information

For questions about this event, contact the Soccer Sales Manager at 407-938-3805. Additional information can be found at espnwwos.disney.go.com.

Disney Soccer Showcase

CNP — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 15:13:04 +0000

Disney Soccer Showcase presented by Chelsea Football Club is the ultimate place for top clubs to be seen by hundreds of college coaches looking for great soccer talent. Rated the #1 youth soccer tournament in the U.S. in a Soccer America survey, Disney’s Soccer Showcase presented by Chelsea Football club gives athletes a chance to shine on one of the biggest stages set for youth soccer in this country.

This soccer event will host 200 elite U15-U18 age teams for a week long event.

For more information on this events please visit www.disneyworldsports.com and for local sporting events and news check out www.centralfloridasports.com

ISA Softball World Series Coming to Polk County This Weekend

CNP — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 20:49:52 +0000

Auburndale, FL (September 22, 2010)— The top adult men’s slow-pitch softball teams in the country will be in Polk County this weekend competing in the Independent Softball Association (ISA) World Series. The event will draw more than 100 teams from across the country to several venues throughout the county, including The Diamondplex in Winter Haven, the Auburndale Softball Complex and Loyce Harpe Park in Lakeland. The action begins on Friday and continues throughout the weekend and culminates with the championship game that will be played on Sunday afternoon at Diamondplex. In conjunction with tournament play at the Diamondplex on Saturday, Softball Magazine will host “Bat Wars” from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Bat Wars is an event that is designed to give players and spectators the chance to swing all the latest and newest bats for free. Top softball apparel and equipment manufacturers will also be on hand, with great deals on equipment and apparel. For more information about ISA World Series, visit www.isasoftball.com.

Media Contact

Kris Keprios
Polk County Sports Marketing
863-551-4727

Labor Day Weekend No Holiday for Sporting Events in Polk County

CNP — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:45:14 +0000

Auburndale, FL (August 27, 2010)— As the nation’s economy remains at a standstill, Polk County continues reap significant economic benefits from Polk County Sports Marketing’s (PCTSM’s) success in marketing the county as a venue for competitive and recreational sports. Based on current projections, PCTSM-assisted and/or managed events have pumped $119 million into the county’s economy in the current fiscal year and with several events coming to Polk County for Labor Day weekend, and other big events on the horizon before the close of the Fiscal Year, the numbers will continue to be impressive. This weekend, Florida AAU Baseball hosts an event at four different venues, including the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex, that will bring 36 teams to Polk County and the Independent Softball Association will host their Youth Fall Kickoff event that will bring an additional 30 teams to Polk County as they compete at Bartow’s 555 Complex. Between these two holiday weekend events, Polk County will see $1.1 million in economic impact.

“We are extremely pleased with this summer’s lineup of events, especially when you consider the less-than-favorable state of the national economy. Our efforts to bring new events to the county, cultivate our own events and maintain solid relationships with long time clients like the Independent Softball Association, is paying huge dividends for Polk County,” said Mark Jackson, director of PCTSM.

More big events are on the horizon for the county as ISA will return in September as they host their Adult C, D, and E Division’s World Series September 24-26 at Diamondplex in Winter Haven and the Auburndale Softball Complex. Baseball will remain strong in September as well as the World Amateur Baseball Association hosts a Junior College showcase event the same weekend at Tigertown in Lakeland and at The Lake Myrtle Sports Complex.

Recruiting, hosting and growing new and established sporting events remains a primary focus of PCTSM. Emphasis is placed on recruiting and marketing a diverse mix of events which favorably impact Polk County’s economy while projecting a positive, progressive image for the area. PCTSM targets a variety of sports segments, governing bodies and sports organizations in order to diversify its special event portfolio. “Recruiting sporting events to the area brings new money and enhances our economy, which is all part of creating economic prosperity and jobs,” said Jackson.

An initiative of the Central Florida Development Council and the Polk County Board of County Commissioners, PCTSM is responsible for recruiting sporting events to Polk County and marketing the county as a venue for competitive sporting events and recreational sports such as golf, tennis, bicycling and water skiing/boating.

During the past year, more than 225 PCTSM-assisted events generated in excess of $125 million in economic benefits for Polk County. PCTSM is Florida’s only sports commission to have earned both the Florida Sports Foundation’s coveted “Sports Commission of the Year” and the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports “Organization of the Year”. General information on sports in Polk County can be found by visiting the PCSM website at www.centralfloridasports.com.

Media Contact

Kris Keprios
Polk County Sports Marketing
863-551-4727

Florida Sports Hall of Fame Now Open in Auburndale, FL

CNP — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:46:59 +0000

Auburndale, FL (July 16, 2010)— The Florida Sports Hall of Fame has found a home and officially opened in grand fashion this summer. Located at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale, memorabilia from some of the biggest stars Florida sports has ever known is on display. Several Hall of Fame members were on hand for the opening event including legendary NASCAR drivers Bobby and Donnie Allison, NHRA legend “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, golfer Doug Sanders and many others. The Florida Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1958 by the Florida Sportswriters Association and the Florida Sportscasters Association, and had its first home in 1977 in Winter Haven’s Cypress Gardens. It closed at the Cypress Gardens location in 1985 and moved to Lake City in 1990. Due to poor attendance and a lack of funding from the state, the Hall was forced to close in 2002 in Lake City and had been without a home ever since. All of that bad fortune changed when the Hall reopened at the brand new Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale. The location of the complex, and the built in traffic of thousands of sporting event participants, should be the right mix to keep the Hall of Fame open for many years to come.

Admission to the Florida Sports Hall of Fame is free and the museum is open Tuesday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The exhibits of memorabilia from the Hall of Fame members will continually change, but some fixtures will remain the same year-round. As visitors walk through the doors of the museum, they are greeted by a full-scale dragster donated by one of drag racing’s biggest names, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits. The car is one of many that Garlits built from scratch and used during his illustrious racing career. There are also several college football displays, including a tribute to Hall of Famer Bobby Bowden, that celebrate the state’s rich football history. As visitors walk through the Hall of Fame, large flat screen monitors play video and display Hall of Fame inductee bios and career highlights. An entire list of inductees, that seems to come out of a wall in a 3-D type display honoring the past inductees, is another highlight of the new museum.

Very few states can boast the type of sports tradition that Florida has, and now with a permanent home to some of the memorabilia that makes up that storied past, sports fans from around the country can see that history first hand. For more information about the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, contact Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing at 863-551-4750.

Media Contact

Kris Keprios
Polk County Sports Marketing
863-551-4727

Florida Sports Hall of Fame Set to Induct Four June 22

CNP — Fri, 14 May 2010 20:56:04 +0000

Two Polk County Sports Hall of Fame inductees to join celebration

Lakeland, FL (May 14, 2010)— The Florida Sports Hall of Fame is coming to Polk County and it will open in grand fashion on June 22 as the newest class of the state sports Hall of Fame will be inducted at The Lakeland Center. For the tenth year, athletes from Polk County will be recognized for their excellence in sports at the Polk County All Sports Awards (PCASA), to be held Tuesday, June 22 at The Lakeland Center at 6:15 p.m. That tradition continues this year, with a twist, as the Florida Sports Hall of Fame will hold their induction ceremony during the same event. The 2010 Florida Sports Hall of Fame class consists of Lake Wales native and baseball standout Pat Borders, Olympic gold medalist Catie Ball-Condon, long time sports columnist Jack Hairston, who will be inducted posthumously, and professional golfer Hubert Green. Polk County will also induct two members to the Polk County Sports Hall of Fame, including long time teacher, coach and community contributor Brian Bain and Olympic sprinter Rey Robinson.

The Polk County All Sports Awards and Hall of Fame induction ceremony is a partnership between The Ledger and Polk County Sports Marketing that began in 2000 when Polk County Sports Marketing wanted to create a ceremony to honor the abundance of athletic talent coming from Polk County. This year, in preparation for the new home of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame opening in Polk County, the Florida Sports Hall of Fame will hold their induction ceremony as part of the Polk County sports celebration. “We have been doing this for many years and there is never a shortage of talent to recognize in Polk County. Now, with the addition of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame this year, it will be an even more memorable evening,” said Mark Jackson, Director of Tourism and Sports Marketing for Polk County. Since 2000, the ceremony has turned into a full-scale awards banquet not only honoring local high school athletes, but major stars in professional sports that hail from Polk County such as Ray Lewis and Tracy McGrady. In addition to the All Sports Awards, the evening is highlighted by the induction of a new Polk County Sports Hall of Fame class.

Throughout the festivities ten awards are also handed out to athletes in specific categories such as Professional Athlete of the Year and Male and Female Team of the Year among many others. The PCASA Selection Committee, which is a group of local business leaders and sports figures, selects the winners. Criteria for each award has been established by the committee who then votes on a list of nominees in each category to select the winner. Winners of the 2010 Polk County All Sports Awards are:

Professional Athlete of the Year: Ray Lewis

Male Amateur Athlete of the Year: Jeremiah Samarrippas

Female Amateur Athlete of the Year: Octavious Freeman

Female Team of the Year: George Jenkins High School Soccer

Commissioner’s Award for Perseverance in Sports: Andre Berto

Bernie Little Executive Award: Gerald Richardson

There are five other categories, including Male and Female Collegiate Athlete of the Year, Male and Female Collegiate Team of the Year and Male Amateur Athlete of the Year, that will be announced once all competition is completed for the year.

For more information or to purchase tickets to Polk County’s biggest night of sports, contact Polk County Sports Marketing at 863-551-4750.

Media Contact

Kris Keprios
Polk County Sports Marketing
863-551-4727