Disney and USA Field Hockey Agree to Three-Year Extension to Keep Showcase Event at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex

Filed in: Disney Field Hockey, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Youth Sports

Field hockey athletes from all over the country will compete at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in front of hundreds of the nation’s top collegiate coaches and scouts, as the Disney Field Hockey Showcase, a USA Field Hockey sanctioned event, returns to Walt Disney World Resort. Disney and USA Field Hockey agreed to terms on a contract extension that will ensure the tournament will be played at the sports complex through 2021.

With the extension, the Disney Field Hockey Showcase will take place at the sports complex and move to an earlier time of the year in order to meet the growing demand from club field hockey teams to compete at Disney. The 2019 event will move to February 1-3; the 2020 tournament will run January 31 through February 2; and the 2021 event will be played January 29-31.

This year’s Disney Field Hockey Showcase took place in January and featured more than 120 teams. But by moving the event to February in 2019, when the sports complex can make even more fields available for the competition, nearly 150 teams are expected to participate.

The expected increase in teams is part of the continued growth and expansion of the event, which began 12 years ago with 56 teams. The event attracted nearly 1,900 athletes in 2018 and for 2019, more than 2,200 athletes from around the country are slated to compete at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, the premier site for amateur sports in the nation.

The sports complex hosts more than 100 entertainment and sporting events each year and has accommodated 70 different sports featuring athletes from 70 different countries since opening its doors in 1997.

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is the host site for the AAU National Championships in basketball, volleyball and track & field, the Pop Warner Super Bowl, the Disney Soccer Showcase, the Summit All-Star Championship and, coming in August 2018, the Jr. NBA World Championships.