Columbus in the running for international softball games - but major renovations needed

Representatives from USA Softball, the national governing body for teams across the United States, were in Columbus this week to scope out the area for an International Softball Cup in 2019.

The group appeared before Columbus Council Tuesday, along with representatives from the Sports Council of Columbus and state softball officials, who helped lay out the vision for the proposed games.

Merri Sherman, executive director of the Sports Council of Columbus, said the international cup would be a precursor to the city’s plans to host the U.S. Olympic softball team in 2020 prior to the international summer Olympics.

Softball experts believe Columbus has a unique advantage over other cities, having been the only city in the United States to host an Olympics fast-pitch competition.

On Tuesday, USA Softball representatives in attendance included Chris Sebren, director of national teams, and Codi Warren, managing director for communications.

“We’re excited to tell you today, we have a huge opportunity before us, to host the international cup next year in Columbus at our South Commons Softball Complex,” said Sherman, before introducing the national sports officials to councilors.

Mayor Teresa Tomlinson read a proclamation declaring May 10, 2018, USA Softball Day, followed by a standing ovation on the dais.

Kim Sheek, chairman of the Columbus Sports Council, said the international cup would be an important event for the city. He said Council would have to upgrade local facilities to meet the standards required for the international competition, which would involved about six countries.

“This is an immediate need in front of us; we see this as part of a broader picture, however,” he said. “Parks and Rec has done a fantastic job of putting together a facilities assessment across Columbus. We don’t want to lose sight of that bigger picture as we prepare to, we hope, host this very prestigious softball event next year.”

Sheek said the local sports council is hiring a private consultant to guide the agency through the process. He hopes it will lead to a public-private fundraising campaign to upgrade facilities to retain the events currently hosted by the city and to attract new ones.

He said the Sports Council would return back to Council in the near future with a list of facility upgrades needed to compete.

“Well, we like to compete and we like to win,” Tomlinson responded. “So, we look forward to seeing the list of how we can provide an extraordinary facility and remain competitive to get these softball tournaments here to Columbus, Ga. So we look forward to seeing you here back soon.”

After the meeting, Sebren said the international cup is usually held in Oklahoma City on an annual basis. The games were moved to Irvine, Cali., because the Oklahoma facility is under construction, he said. And the national organization is scoping out other locations for 2019.

“We’ve been west, so we’re looking for some locations on the east coast,” he said. “And, obviously, proximity to a major airport is important for us and our international partners and the countries that participate. And being close to Atlanta is a big deal to us.”

This story was originally published April 11, 2018 at 12:21 PM with the headline "Columbus in the running for international softball games - but major renovations needed."