Crossroads Park makes Temple a hub for tournaments

Though it just opened a year ago, Crossroads Park has already made its mark as a regional hub for recreational athletics. The 260-acre sports complex recently hosted the International Senior Softball Association’s Western USA Championship tournament.

The facility hosted 23 teams March 5-7. City of Temple Destination Marketing Specialist Diane Jones said tournament organizers estimated the tournament had an economic impact of $250,000 which includes lodging, dining and ancillary spending.

 “The tournament grows a little each year,” Jones said. “The senior athletes enjoy Temple and are delighted with the beautiful new Crossroads complex where the tournament is held.”

The City has been involved in the tournament for the past seven years, but in years past, games were split between Temple and Harker Heights. The opening of Crossroads, however, allowed the tournament to take place at one central location.

“It's a great event that brings visitors from all over the state and beyond,” Jones said.

Assistant Parks & Recreation Director Mike Hemker said the ability to attract large tournaments was factored into the design of Crossroads Park.

“We not only worked with local groups, but also we worked with regional and national organizations to understand how we could best design that park,” Hemker said. “Now we have a facility that’s attractive to bring in those kinds of tournaments like ISSA. When they got here, the reaction from both the organizers and the players was, ‘Man, this is a great facility.’”

The ISSA tournament became the park’s first regional draw in March 2020, but the facility really got to show off in November when it hosted 200 teams for a USSSA tournament.

“Local organizers involved with a national organization wanted to bring a tournament to town. They did it for men, women’s and co-rec softball. In the course of a three-day tournament, we had more than 200 teams here,” Hemker said. “Crossroads has taken Temple to a different level. Crossroads becomes the main site for things like this. It becomes the hub of where you want to finish to have your championship games. When you get tournaments like that, the financial impact is tenfold.”

The complex features baseball, softball and soccer fields, tennis courts, disk golf and other amenities. For more information about Parks & Recreation facilities and programs, visit templetx.gov/parks.