ELKRIDGE, Md. — The Mars Turf Wars National Adult Kickball Tournament is making its way back to Maryland for the second consecutive year, this time in Howard County, aiming to become a staple event every Independence Day in the state.
"We travel to various markets and we host weekend long kickball tournaments and so for us, it's a two day competition that starts off on a Saturday where we feature our coed teams at both the advanced and the intermediate levels followed by our women's only and men's only teams that take place on Sunday," said Arion Herbert, Mars Turf Wars tournament director.
"This is the best of the best, as close to professional as you're gonna get the best players in the United States," said Graham Whales with the Maryland Sports Commission.
Did you know kickball was played professionally? Here's what you need to know about Turf Wars
"I found that this tournament is a family-friendly event where spectators have the opportunity to see the world's best kickball players" Whales said.
The league has grown so successful that it's now being streamed on ESPN 3 worldwide.
"We're the only kickball organization in the world that features the game of adult kickball on a nationally syndicated network, and I think that puts us in the space of our own that makes us unique," Herbert said.
For the second consecutive July 4th weekend, they've returned to Maryland. Last year they played in Prince George's County. Herbert says Maryland is the perfect place to host this tournament.
"I love the community, you know, we have a huge support system here in the state of Maryland, not only obviously from our partners, but from the players as well," Herbert said.
Whales says part of the Maryland Sports Commission's job is to help bring sports tourism events to the state, and this event, which generated more than $2 million in economic impact last year, aims to be a staple in the state every July 4th weekend.
"I think it showcases that Maryland is very versatile when it comes to the different types of sports that we can host and sport tourism events that we can host. A lot of times at the Maryland Sports Commission we say that Maryland is a global destination for sports," Whales said.
To learn more about Turf Wars, click here.
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