Choccolocco Park welcomes 80,000 guests after two expansion projects

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The city of Oxford is wrapping up what they call ‘Championship May’ with the National Junior College Athletic Association Softball tournament.

They’ve hosted seven championships this month, including the Alabama High School Athletic Association and the Gulf South Conference.

Spokeswoman Lorie Denton says a lot of this would not have been possible if it weren’t for these expansion projects.

“Behind the dugouts, we’ve added locker rooms. Full locker rooms with showers and offices that the teams can access from the dugouts. They can actually leave through the locker room entrance,” says Denton.

They also added additional seating to accommodate larger crowds.

“We worked on an expansion project to move the fence line back,” says Denton. “It’s the signature softball field. We added additional lighting and seating to accommodate a wider range of conferences that like to play out here at the park. We’ve continued with that expansion this spring, bringing in additional bleachers. We will have the capacity to seat 1,500 in the next week or so.”

These expansion projects are paying off big as the park prepares to welcome a women’s professional sports team this summer.

“That’s been huge in recruiting some of the bigger things that we have been working for. It is how we were able to land the Smash It Sports Vipers, the women’s professional fast-pitch team that starts spring training here June 1,” says Denton.

The Vipers will begin playing 18 home games in Oxford until mid-August. The city signed a deal with the team to call Chococolocco Park their home for the next five years.

To find out more about events at Choccolocco Park, click here.

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