Lace up your sneakers and get ready to hear the unmistakable “thunk” of shoe against playground ball at the Citywide Neighborhood Association Kickball Tournament on May 22. The event was originally scheduled for April 24, but was postponed due to a rainy forecast.
The event will be played at Meador Park. Registration begins at noon and games begin at 1.
Rountree is the reigning champion after winning the inaugural event in 2019. That year there were only four neighborhoods participating. This year organizers are expecting 12 or more.
“Phelps was the runner-up, which is still being protested — all in good fun,” said Bobbi Ream, president of the Meador Park Neighborhood Association and co-chair of the event. “Delaware was third and Meador Park, well, we were the hosts that forgot to show up with real players.”
Winning, though, is far from the only focus of the event, Ream said.
“The purpose of the event is to become better acquainted with people in other neighborhoods from all over the city,” she said. “We want people to get to know other people socially and have a chance to grow our individual neighborhoods with a little different kind of activity to bring people out.”
It’s free to play in the Citywide Neighborhood Association Kickball Tournament and free to attend. The Springfield-Greene County Park Board will be opening the concession stand during the event. There will also be yard games for younger children to play.
Neighborhoods are asked to field a kids team, ages 8-13, and an adult team for ages 14 and over. Both teams should have 11 players. Teams will only compete against opponents in the same age group.
Interested in playing? Check the event's official Facebook group or with your own neighborhood association to see if there’s a team representing your neighborhood. Don’t worry, though. Ream said they’ll find spots for anyone who wants to play.
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