Escambia County Parks and Recreation and Pensacola Sports celebrated a new facility at the Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park with a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, Oct. 18, just in time for the Southeastern Conference Women’s Soccer Tournament scheduled to kick off at the park Oct. 29.
Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry welcomed attendees and kicked off the ribbon cutting ceremony, joined by County Administrator Wes Moreno, Parks and Recreation Director Michael Rhodes, Pensacola Sports President and CEO Ray Palmer, and SEC Assistant Director of Competition Marcus Bishop.
“Ashton Brosnaham Park is a major asset to District 5 and our entire region, and I’m excited to bring even more amenities to this already incredible sports complex,” Commissioner Barry said. “Thank you to Parks and Recreation staff, Pensacola Sports, and everyone who worked together to make this possible. I look forward to welcoming the SEC again in the heart of Escambia County and District 5.”
The Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park will serve as the location for the SEC Women’s Soccer Tournament for the second year in a row, running Oct. 29 through Nov. 5. The 2022 event saw record-breaking attendance numbers and generated $2.5 million in local economic impact. Learn more about the 2023 SEC event here, or click here for ticket information.
District 1 Commissioner Jeff Bergosh, District 4 Commissioner Robert Bender, county staff, and numerous community partners and citizens joined Escambia County to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the new two-story facility at Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park. The new facility will serve as additional locker room space for the SEC Women’s Soccer Tournament, along with other sporting events including local youth, high school and college soccer.
Features at the facility include restrooms and showers for team sports use, an open space with sliding walls on the first floor, and meeting and office spaces on the second floor. The open space on the first floor will be available for rent and can be used for meetings, birthday parties and other community events.
“Recreation plays such an integral role in creating a high quality of life in our community,” Parks and Recreation Director Michael Rhodes said. “We’re proud to be able to provide facilities like this that not only attract large sporting events to Escambia County, but also benefit our local teams that use Ashton Brosnaham every day. I’m excited to continue to provide quality recreational opportunities and additional amenities like this for Escambia County residents and visitors to enjoy.”
Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park is a 103-acre regional park located at 10370 Ashton Brosnaham Drive. In addition to being heavily used for soccer and softball, its many facilities include a dog park, covered pavilion, picnic area and 13 soccer fields. To learn more, visit the Escambia County website.
About Pensacola Sports
Pensacola Sports is one of the oldest sports associations/commissions in the United States, beginning in 1955. Today, Pensacola Sports manages or assists in numerous events a year throughout the Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa County areas, and is the lead sports tourism agency for Escambia County. Events include a high school all-star series, 5K-15K runs, half marathon, fishing tournament, soccer and softball tournaments, collegiate conference and national championships, and annual awards and scholarships banquets to name a few. Pensacola Sports is dedicated to building a better community through sports. Be Moved! Learn more about Pensacola Sports here.
About the SEC
Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, the Southeastern Conference is an NCAA Conference with 14 member institutions. The SEC crowns champions in 21 sports: 12 women's sports and nine men's sports. Since its formation in 1933, the SEC has directed and organized interscholastic athletic competitions, conducted tournaments and prescribed eligibility rules for student-athletes. The Conference also facilitates and assists its member institutions in maintaining intercollegiate athletic programs compatible with the highest standards of education and competitive sports. Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt have been in the SEC since its formation in 1933. The league has expanded twice, adding Arkansas and South Carolina in 1991, then Missouri and Texas A&M in 2012. To learn more, visit secsports.com.