Mobile will welcome one of Alabama high school football’s most storied traditions this December, as the 62nd annual North-South All-Star Football Classic makes its debut at the University of South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium. The all-star showcase, which brings together the top senior football talent from across the state, is scheduled for Dec. 18 and marks the start of a three-year partnership between the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association (AHSADCA) and the Port City.
The move gives South Alabama sports fans a rare chance to see a slate of the state’s best graduating players compete on their home turf, something longtime followers of prep football in the region haven’t had since the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic left Ladd-Peebles Stadium in 2010 after decades as a Mobile institution.
Jamie Lee, director of the AHSADCA, said several cities pursued hosting rights for the event before Mobile was chosen. “We are thankful for the city and county of Mobile, the Mobile Sports Authority and the University of South Alabama for their interest and support of one of our premier events,” Lee said. “Several cities showed interest in the event, but Mobile rose above them all in order to support our student-athletes and coaches. We look forward to partnering with them the next three years.”
The North-South Classic has deep roots in Alabama high school sports history, dating back to its first playing in Tuscaloosa in 1948. The game ran annually through 1984, went on hiatus from 1985 to 1996, and was revived in 1997 as part of the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s (AHSAA) Summer Conference and the AHSADCA’s All-Star Sports Week. Over the years the contest has been played at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl, Troy University and Alabama A&M University before returning to Cramton Bowl when the Summer Conference relocated to Montgomery in 2011. This year’s 61st edition was called off over COVID-19 concerns, prompting organizers to shift the event to a December date going forward.
AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese, who once served as head coach at both Daphne and McGill-Toolen high schools, said he has firsthand knowledge of how well Mobile can host a marquee all-star event. “I am glad to see our North-South game moving to Mobile,” Savarese said. “I coached in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game and saw firsthand what a great experience it was for the players and coaches.”
The game will be the first all-star showcase held at Hancock Whitney Stadium, which opened this year as South Alabama’s first on-campus football facility. The 25,000-seat venue is also slated to host the Reese’s Senior Bowl beginning in 2021, further cementing Mobile’s growing reputation as a hub for premier football events in the Southeast.
USA Athletic Director Dr. Joel Erdmann said hosting the North-South Classic reflects a broader community effort. “We are honored to host the North-South all-star game at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama,” Erdmann said. “We owe a special thank you to Danny Corte, the Mobile Sports Authority and others that made this a reality, and to the AHSAA for the opportunity. This is truly a team effort by and for our community.”
Corte, executive director of the Mobile Sports Authority, echoed that sentiment, noting the backing the effort received from both city and county leaders. “We at the Mobile Sports Authority with the backing of both the city and county of Mobile are fired up to be co-hosting the North-South all-star football game (with the AHSAA) for the next three years at the new Hancock Whitney Stadium on the University of South Alabama campus,” Corte said. “I want to thank the Alabama High School Athletic Association for the confidence they’ve shown in us to host one of their signature annual events. I also want to especially thank Joel Erdmann and the University of South Alabama for partnering with us along with the Mobile County Public School System and Visit Mobile. Our entire team is looking forward to creating a great experience in Mobile for the young athletes and their families and fans.”
Down in Baldwin County, meanwhile, Foley Sports Tourism (FST) is in the middle of one of its busiest soccer stretches of the year, hosting three returning marquee events in November and welcoming a fourth for the first time.
The Sun Belt Conference Women’s Soccer Championship returns to Foley for a fifth consecutive year, with the title match kicking off Sunday at 1 p.m. This year’s tournament features a new format that includes all 11 conference women’s soccer teams, including the East Division champion from the University of South Alabama, rather than limiting the field to the top eight as in past seasons. Sun Belt Assistant Commissioner Spencer Dodd said the change is meant to give every program a shot at a title-game atmosphere. “We are always looking for ways to give our athletes once-in-a-lifetime memories,” Dodd said. “We are excited to have all teams experience this championship event at the Foley Sports Tourism [facility] by using this new format. We are looking forward to a competitive event and determining our conference champion.”
Youth soccer takes center stage at the complex in the weeks that follow. The Alabama Soccer Association’s State Cup, running Nov. 6-8, returns to Foley for a fourth straight year, drawing top boys’ and girls’ club teams from across a range of age divisions to compete for statewide bragging rights. Snap Soccer’s Coastal Academy Cup follows Nov. 14-15, also marking its fourth year in Foley. That tournament is one of Snap Soccer’s premier events nationally, attracting more than 150 teams from around the country across multiple age groups for both boys and girls.
Rounding out the month, FST is adding a new event to its calendar for the first time: the 3v3 Live Soccer Tour National Championships, set for Nov. 28-29. The smaller-sided format is designed to give each player more touches on the ball and more chances to sharpen individual skills compared to traditional 11-a-side play. Eddie Meador, vice president of operations for 3v3 Live, said Foley’s amenities made it an easy choice for the tour’s championship stop. “3v3 Live is excited to be coming to Foley for our 2020 National Championships,” Meador said. “With fantastic fields and an amazing facility, great entertainment and restaurants, and proximity to the Gulf’s white-sand beaches, Foley was a perfect choice for this memory-making event.”
Together, the North-South Classic’s arrival in Mobile and Foley’s packed soccer calendar underscore the growing role south Alabama’s sports facilities are playing in hosting statewide and regional athletic events, drawing visiting teams, families and fans to the region throughout the fall.
The Alabama North-South All-Star Football Classic is one of the longstanding high school football traditions in the state. The game brings together senior players from across Alabama to compete in a single contest held each summer, typically at a venue that has the capacity to host a large crowd.
The University of South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium, on the university’s campus in west Mobile, has become one of the premier college football venues in the region. The stadium hosts South Alabama football games and has also hosted high school playoffs and other football events.
The North-South Classic’s move to Hancock Whitney Stadium is part of a broader effort by the game’s organizers to showcase the contest at venues that can accommodate larger crowds and that offer better facilities for players and fans. The venue change is also expected to raise the game’s profile among college recruiters who attend the contest each year.
Local governments and community partners are working through the implications of the situation, and several follow-up meetings have been scheduled for the coming weeks. Members of the public who want to weigh in on the matter can find the meeting dates on city and county websites, and written comments can be submitted through the standard channels used by the relevant agencies. Local news outlets will continue to cover the story as it develops.
Across south Alabama, similar issues are being addressed in other communities, and the lessons learned here are likely to inform how those communities approach their own challenges. Local officials have indicated they are in regular contact with counterparts in neighboring cities and counties, and they expect to share best practices as the situation continues to evolve.
The agencies involved in the matter have committed to keeping the public informed as the work progresses, and residents who want to receive updates directly can sign up for email or text alerts through the relevant city or county websites. Local community organizations have also agreed to share information as it becomes available, and several have scheduled public forums in the coming weeks to give residents a chance to ask questions of the officials involved.
For background, readers can consult the official websites of the relevant agencies, the local newspapers that have covered the story, and the public-meeting archives that document the prior deliberations on related topics. The combination of those resources should give residents a thorough understanding of how the current situation developed and how the agencies and elected officials are approaching the decisions that remain.