U.S. Olympic softball team may be headed back to Columbus

USA Softball of Georgia wants Columbus to host the U.S. Olympic women’s softball team in 2020, but the city would have to invest in significant upgrades to R.G. Jones Field and other sports facilities to make it happen.

That was the message that two visiting sports experts presented to Columbus Council Tuesday at a regular business meeting.

Those speaking were Don Schumacher, founder of the National Association of Sports Commissions, and Al Dattolo, USA Softball of Georgia commissioner. They made the pitch following a sports venues update presented by Merri Sherman, executive director of the Sports Council of Columbus.

“There’s a desire to host Team U.S.A. in softball prior to the 2020 Olympics in Japan,” Schumacher said. “R.G. Jones is not ready for that assignment...A significant amount of work needs to be done to bring it back to shape.”

Yet, Columbus does have a unique advantage, Schumacher said, having been the only city in the United States to host an Olympics fast-pitch competition.

“So if I make comments about R.G. Jones Field that point out the need to fix it, it’s because you’ve got a heritage that nobody else’s got,” he said. “And most of us are competitive and we’re going with what brings us the most results. And you have been one of the undisputed leaders in girl’s fast-pitch, a sport that continues to grow.”

“... To me, you have a fantastic opportunity, maybe even a national television opportunity, to celebrate the return of players that were here in 1996 and the ladies representing the United States today, and come home to Columbus, Ga.,” he said later.

Dattolo said he talked to national softball officials in November about bringing the Olympic team back to the city where Olympic softball was born, and they were highly in favor of it. He said they’re looking for a date in the spring of 2020, when the team will be traveling to Japan for the summer Olympic games.

“And, of course, the fact that we want to hold it at South Commons where the Olympics was held, they’re also in favor of that,” he said. “So, any support that you can give us in the manner of anything you can do to better the appearance of that park would be greatly appreciated.”

During his presentation, Schumacher showed photos of dilapidated conditions at local sports venues. He mentioned rusty tank farm next to R. G. Jones Field; drainage issues at Woodruff Farm Soccer Complex, rundown conditions at Golden Park and general upgrades needed at South Commons. Other issues at some facilities included uneven sidewalks due to overgrown trees, deteriorating bathroom facilities, food prep areas, dressing rooms and fences.

“Woodruff has 11 fields; that’s really a good number for hosting mid-sized tournaments,” Schumacher said. “And this is a tremendous asset to your community and one that you really want to take good care of.”

But there are no restaurants and permanent bathrooms at the back of the field, he noted, which hinders Columbus’ ability to compete with other cities that have such amenities.

Cooper Creek Tennis Center, which was named by the U.S. Tennis Association as one of their facilities of the year, also needs attention, he said.

Schumacher said Columbus was once at the forefront of the region’s sports tourism business. But now cities like Columbia, Tenn., and Dothan, Ala., have fast-pitch fields that look like major league baseball parks.

He said sports tourism is an economic development issue and it’s in the city’s best interest to stay competitive.

“In 1995, there were very few South Commons in the southeastern United States, but today in Georgia alone there are 15 other cities competing with you for events,” he explained. “Ground zero for the sports tourism industry is the southeastern states in the United States. You have the best climate, the best growing conditions, and the most favorable conditions for competition anywhere in the United States.”

The good news is that Columbus has many attractions that make it a good place for sports tourism activities, said Schumacher. He mentioned the RiverWalk and National Infantry Museum as examples.

“... A visit to Columbus delivers for the visitor and that’s your advantage over the competition,” he said. “It’s fun to be here.”

After hearing Schumacher’s presentation, Mayor Teresa Tomlinson said the city is aware of the needs that he highlighted.

She said city staff members have been talking about possibly using SPLOST dollars to refurbish some of the venues. She suspects the improvements requested would be part of that conversation.

Councilors Glenn Davis and Bruce Huff said Schumacher’s presentation was right on target.

“At one time, our facilities were absolutely phenomenal, but they’re trending down now,” Davis said. “People have watched what we’ve done over the years; they’ve seen the ability and that we’ve been able to capitalize on the sports tourism market and the economic growth that it can bring to a community.

“I think they’ve kind of learned what we’ve done here and now they’re out there building brand new, better, state-of-the-art (facilities), while ours are deteriorating,” he continued. “That’s not good, because they’re going to compete for dollars that support our community and keep the wheels of small businesses running. ... This is something that should be addressed soon.”

Councilor Judy Thomas asked city staff to look into the possibility of using infrastructure money from the Other Local Option Sales Tax to upgrade the facilities.

“There may be some projects that we’re doing now using OLOST money that we could shift to TSPLOST money to free up some of that,” she said. “I know that we have taken a long-term look at some of that money, but maybe it’s time for us to take another look and see if in 2018, 2019 we don’t want to re-prioritize those two accounts and come back with some of the things that we need.”

This story was originally published December 13, 2017 at 11:21 AM with the headline "U.S. Olympic softball team may be headed back to Columbus."