Foley Welcomes Sun Belt Volleyball Championship

It’s been a year of firsts for Foley Sports Tourism. First global pandemic, first major hurricane survived by our facilities, and many more. The bar may not be high but perhaps the most exciting first for FST is welcoming its first collegiate volleyball tournament with the Sun Belt Conference Women’s Volleyball Championship, to be held November 18-22 at the Foley Event Center.

FST has been the long-time home of the Sun Belt Women’s Soccer Championship held annually the first week in November. The organization has worked closely with the conference to welcome another major tournament to the city. Assistant Commissioner of Sun Belt, Spencer Dodd, said the conference knew what to expect when bringing such a prestigious event to the Foley Event Center.

 “It has been an unprecedented year in sports,” Dodd said. “The Sun Belt Conference wanted to make sure every student athlete had the opportunity to play in the safest conditions possible. We knew that FST would work closely with us to find the latest equipment and best practices to achieve that goal. Even with the COVID-19 protocols we have in place to keep our athletes safe, we knew that FST would also go above and beyond to make them feel welcomed and excited to play.”

The tournament will feature 12 teams participating in pool play November 18 – 20, with direct elimination matches to follow throughout the weekend until a champion is crowned on Sunday, November 22. All matches will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Foley Director of Recreation and Sports Tourism, David Thompson said the tournament is a chance to welcome a whole new group to the city.

 “We have been lucky enough to host the Sun Belt Women’s Soccer Championship for many years and always want to give coaches a reason to look forward to coming back,” Thompson said. “The volleyball championship allows us to share all that Foley has to offer with a new set of visitors. We want to not only provide our top-notch hospitality, but also information on hosting tournaments, games, and camps at our facilities in the future.”

For a full tournament schedule visit the Sun Belt Conference website. Feel free to contact Stephanie Donald with any questions.