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SEC Soccer Tourney Draws Thousands Of Fans, Boosts Local Economy
November 9, 2025
Thousands of fans have attended with SEC Women’s Soccer Tournament this week in North Escambia, and county officials say it has been a great success, adding to the local economy and quality of life.
During the first two days of the tournament, about 4,600 fans attended the tournament at Escambia County’s Ashton Brosnaham Park, and the tournament has been televised nationally on the SEC Network.
Vanderbilt will take on LSU at 1:30 p.m. Sunday for the SEC championship.
“It’s important to Escambia County just because we have people coming to visit from all over the southeast,” Ray Palmer, president and CEO of Pensacola Sports told NorthEscambia.com during a tournament match. It’s important for Escambia County because it’s a great thing for our citizens to have these great athletes in our backyard; it improves the quality of life for all the people that live here.”
“It’s just a quality of life addition,” Palmer said.
SEC Assistant Director of Competition Marcus Bishop said the tournament is off to a great start, highlighting the partnerships that make a tournament like this successful.
“What keeps the SEC coming back to Escambia County is really the collaborative nature of our partners here,” Bishop said. “Whether it’s Pensacola Sports or Escambia County Parks and Recreation, it is so easy to work with the people here to put on such a great event. If you haven’t bought your tickets yet, you definitely need to be here. We have some great match-ups, great talent, some of the best women’s college soccer in the United States.”
- For Kentucky versus Georgia photos from Tuesday, click here.
- For Vanderbilt versus Georgia, and LSU versus Mississippi State photos from Thursday, click here.
- For more photos from LSU and Auburn, click here.
- For photos from Kentucky and Florida, click here.
- For photos from Mississippi State and Oklahoma, click here.
Escambia County Parks and Recreation Director Michael Rhodes echoed the valuable partnerships that make the SEC tournament possible each year, also highlighting the significant effort the Parks and Recreation team puts into getting the Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park tournament-ready.
“We could not do it without the teamwork,” Rhodes said. “It’s a big collaboration to bring an elite organization such as the Southeastern Conference here. I want to make sure I acknowledge our field staff, our field crews that have spent countless hours out on this field along with the complex itself to provide the best setup possible for the competitors and visitors alike.”
“I’m very excited for the opportunity to once again host the SEC tournament in Escambia County, right in the heart of District 5,” Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry said. “This tournament just keeps getting better every year, drawing thousands of attendees to Escambia County and Northwest Florida. I appreciate the continued partnership with Pensacola Sports and the SEC, along with the countless staff members and volunteers who work hard to make this event a success. On behalf of Escambia County, I’d like to welcome all of the players, coaches, and fans, and wish all of them a wonderful tournament.”
Escambia County has completed significant improvements to continue to make the Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park a first-rate sports complex, including a new multi-use facility that opened in 2023, which serves as additional locker room space for the SEC Soccer Tournament, along with other sporting events including local youth, high school and college soccer. Parks and Recreation staff also repaved the parking lot last year and completed significant upgrades to the field turf at Ashton Brosnaham.
Rhodes also emphasized the impact this tournament has on local youth soccer players, who get to see elite college athletes playing at their hometown soccer complex.
“These fields are also used by our local youth, who are getting to see SEC soccer, elite soccer, play on some of the fields that they play on and practice on as well,” Rhodes said. “They’re getting to see these girls compete and see how far soccer can take you, from the lowest level all the way up to the elite college level.”
“We as a community are very much a melting pot of Southeastern Conference fan bases, and the footprint of their institution is the same footprint that our tourism industry works to attract year-round,” Palmer said. “We believe strongly in these college athletes and the opportunity to show them everything Escambia County has to offer. These kids are going to be looking for places to build families, build businesses, raise families, have a life some point down the road. So it gives Escambia County an opportunity to show off.”
NorthEscambia.com photos by Allie Penton, click to enlarge.
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