Farmington coach leads effort to move high school state softball tourney from North Mankato to University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus

Caswell Park in North Mankato is once again hosting the Minnesota high school state softball tournament this year, but there is an effort underway to eventually move the tournament to the Twin Cities.

Paul Harrington, who's coached the Farmington Tigers softball team for 24 years, is a main voice behind the proposal to relocate the tournament to Jane Sage Cowles Stadium on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus.

"It's all about the girls," Harrington told WCCO Radio's Vineeta Sawkar on Thursday morning. "It's not about Mankato."

Harrington says Caswell Park, which underwent a multi-million dollar upgrade in recent years, has been a great home for the tournament. Ultimately, he added, it's about fairness.

"It's about the girls to be treated fairly and equally as other sports," he said. "Basketball, football, hockey, and everything is greater-Twin Cities area. We're down there in Mankato which just doesn't seem fair. I think it really borders on a Title IX issue."

Harrington has seen positive results through an advisory group that he called a "keyhole to the high school league." One of those positive results is happening this year when the state softball tournament expands from two days, to three days.

Still, he sees an opportunity to do more for the sport.

"We just need kids and parents to get behind this and make this happen."

Some of the championship sites used by the Minnesota State High School League include Target Center, Target Field, Williams Arena, U.S. Bank Stadium, and Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

"We just think the TV coverage, if it came up here, would be great for our sport and just grow our sport," Harrington said. "We're just not doing that for 15 years now. Baseball did it, and we haven't responded like they have."

Farmington is coming off last year's state tournament appearance.

They won the AAAA championship in 2017 and finished second in the 2003 AAA tournament.