The 2011 North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance ( NAGAAA ) Softball World Series will be held in Chicagothe suburbs, to be exactmarking the second-biggest sporting LGBT event ever held in the Windy City, only behind the 2006 Gay Games.
The 35th annual tournament will be held Aug. 29Sept. 3, 2011, with games played at three softball complexes, each boasting multiple fenced-in fields, a NAGAAA requirement. Games will be played at East Side Sports Complex in St. Charles, Olympic Park in Schaumburg and Helmut Berens Park in Elmhurst.
Chicago last hosted the Gay Softball World Series in 1983, and Chicago Sidetrack was the champion that yearbut the tournament then was significantly smaller than today's mega-event. The 2009 Series in Milwaukee started Monday, with more than 4,000 participants and fans from 37 leagues in North America. It is the world's largest annual LGBT sporting event.
Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association ( CMSA ) bid in 2008 to host the 2009 Series, but it ultimately was awarded to Milwaukee. CMSA officials made their presentation Saturday night to host the 2011 Series, and Chicago was the only city bidding. The official announcement was made Aug. 30.
"It's going to be a great event [ in 2011 ] ; we're thrilled. I'm really happy that CMSA stepped up and made the winning bid," said CMSA President Marcia Hill. "We know that a lot of people want to come to Chicago to play softball ... and also hit Boystown in the same trip. There will be a ton of teams wanting to come to Chicago in 2011 to play softball."
The NAGAAA Softball World Series is a predominantly male event, though some women annually participate.
The Amateur Sports Alliance of North America ( ASANA ) runs the annual women's Softball World Series, and the 2009 event is being held Sept. 1-6 in Madison, Wis.
Hill confirmed that CMSA will not also bid to host the 2011 ASANA event.
In addition, Hill confirmed that the ChiTown Classic, a two-day softball tournament that CMSA resumed in 2009 around the July 4th holiday, might be suspended for 2011, although one option would be for another city to host the ChiTown Classic for the one year.
Chicago will have at least seven participating teams in the 2011 NAGAAA World Series: two in B, two in C and two in D Divisions, and one more as the host city. ( There now are no Chicago teams competing in the top-tiered A Division. )
"We're very excited and honored to host the World Series," said Jack Neilsen, the CMSA Open Division commissioner and CMSA 2011 World Series director. "It's going to be a fun event; we can't wait. It's an amazing thing for the CMSA to host this event."
Only four Chicago teams have won a championship at the NAGAAA Gay Softball World Series, which dates back to 1977. The most recent champion was Jackhammer Heat, which claimed the D Division title in 2006. The Chicago Cougars were the C Division champions in 2003, while Chicago MSA Little Dog Properties was the D Division winner in 2002.
NAGAAA also ran the Women's World Series from 1985-2007, and Chicago had four champions in that event: the Chicago Finale and Chicago Mud Hens in 1994, and Chicago Synergy in 1989 and 1990.
The 2010 NAGAAA Gay Softball World Series will be held in Columbus, Ohio.