USA Football 7-on-7 National Championship begins Thursday
The USA Football 7-on-7 National Championship football tournament is coming to Hoover this week.
The event, featuring 48 prep football teams throughout the country, will take place across eight makeshift 40-yard football fields; four at the Hoover Met soccer fields, two at Hoover High's soccer stadium, and the other two at Buccaneer Stadium.
The tournament is invitation only, and features local squads from Hoover and Spain Park. Pool play will take place Thursday and early Friday, with a double-elimination format beginning Friday afternoon.
In last week's state tournament, Hoover advanced to the finals and Spain Park reached the quarterfinals.
The national tournament features 23 teams from the state of Alabama, including nearby Clay-Chalkville and Hewitt-Trussville. Seven teams from Georgia, four from Louisiana, three from Florida, two from Arkansas, two from Mississippi, two from Indiana, and one each from Pennsylvania, Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, and Kentucky will be in attendance.
The pool play schedules for Hoover and Spain Park are as follows:
Hoover
Thursday
2:30 p.m. - vs. Springdale Har-Ber, Arkansas - Buccaneer Stadium, Field 1
3:30 p.m. - vs. Austin, Alabama - Buccaneer Stadium, Field 2
4:30 p.m. - vs. Cherokee, Georgia - HHS Soccer Stadium, Field 3
Friday
8:30 a.m. - vs. Opelika, Alabama - Hoover Met Soccer Fields, Field 6
9:30 a.m. - vs. Columbus, Florida - Hoover Met Soccer Fields, Field 5
10:30 a.m. - vs. Shannon, Mississippi - Hoover Met Soccer Fields, Field 6
11:30 a.m. - vs. Buckhorn, Alabama - HHS Soccer Stadium, Field 4
Spain Park
Thursday
2:30 p.m. - vs. Centennial, Georgia - Hoover Met Soccer Fields, Field 5
3:30 p.m. - vs. Lassiter, Georgia - Hoover Met Soccer Fields, Field 5
4:30 p.m. - vs. Hamilton, Alabama - Hoover Met Soccer Fields, Field 5
Friday
8:30 a.m. - vs. Bob Jones, Alabama - Buccaneer Stadium, Field 1
9:30 a.m. - vs. Thomas Jefferson, Pennsylvania - Buccaneer Stadium, Field 1
10:30 a.m. - vs. Warren Easton, Louisiana - Buccaneer Stadium, Field 2
11:30 a.m. - vs. Wenonah, Alabama - Buccaneer Stadium, Field 2