225 youth volleyball teams headed to Finley Center over next two weekends
The Finley Center at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex on Saturday kicks off two back-to-back weekends of youth volleyball tournaments, drawing hundreds of teams from across the Southeast.
This weekend, on Saturday and Sunday (April 7-8), is the Birmingham Amateur Athletic Union Super Regional Volleyball Tournament, which will feature 125 teams of girls ages 12-18 from seven states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, said Jimmy Miranda, the tournament director.
“We are extremely excited to bring our Birmingham AAU Super Regional Volleyball Tournament to the Hoover Finley Center,” Miranda said in a news release.
This is the 11th year AAU has held a super regional tournament in the Birmingham area but the first time it has been at the Finley Center. The super regional tournament was held at the Birmingham Crossplex last year, said Monty Jones, general manager of the Hoover Metropolitan Complex.
Miranda said “having the opportunity to host the event in a premier facility such as the Hoover Finley Center will enhance the event and establish this AAU super regional as a distinguished tournament that will be on every team’s radar each and every year.”
The winning team from each age division will qualify for the AAU National Tournament in Orlando in June.
Doors open at 7 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, with games scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Admission costs $7 for a daily ticket or $12 for a two-day pass for adults and $4 for a daily ticket or $7 for a two-day pass for children ages 6-12. Children ages 5 and younger get in free. Parking is available at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex for $5, cash only.
Then on April 14-15, the Finley Center will host the Southern Region Volleyball Association’s Junior Indoor Regional Championships. That tournament, held in Atlanta last year, will feature about 100 teams from Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, Jones said.
It serves as a qualifier for the USA Volleyball Girls National Championship in Detroit in June and July, he said.
Admission is free for the SRVA tournament, but parking will cost $5, with only cash accepted. Doors open at 7 a.m., and games are set to begin at 8 a.m.