The NCAA Division II Fall Festival is coming up next week! Festivities kick off with the Opening Ceremonies on Wednesday, November 15 at Seville Square. The ceremonies are free to the public and will feature interactive games, food vendors, athlete introductions, a performance by 80s tribute band The Molly Ringwalds, and fireworks over the bay.

Over 850 student-athletes will be in Pensacola to compete for a National Championship in women’s Field Hockey, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, and women’s Volleyball. Competitions are held throughout the week with all championship finals played on Saturday the 18th.

Tickets are available for purchase at the Pensacola Sports Association office (101 West Main Street in downtown Pensacola) and the University of West Florida Commons Building. Call the PSA at 850-434-2800 for more information or visit www.goargos.com/ncaafestival.

High School All-Star Football Game

The 3rd annual Pensacola Sports Association High School All-Star Football Game will be held on Friday, December 15th at 7 PM at Pace High School. In the third edition of this talent-laden game, senior standouts from Escambia County will take on the star seniors from Santa Rosa and Okaloosa Counties in a battle of East and West.

Each team will be made up of 35 senior players. Each participating school will have at least 2 players represented with the balance of the players selected by the respective coaching staffs.

Coach Chet Bergalowski from Washington High School was selected as this year’s head coach for the West team. Navarre High School’s Larry Olson will call the shots for the East.

The game will provide an opportunity for the players to showcase their talents to college coaches, peers, and the local community. One of the best aspects of the game is that players who may have been overlooked have one more chance to impress college recruiters from around the country. Cox Communications will again broadcast the game with re-broadcast dates to be determined later.

Make sure you check out the PSA website, www.PensacolaSports.com, for updates on the player rosters, ticket sales, and more.

For more information regarding the Pensacola Sports Association High School All-Star Football Game, please contact Daniel Murphy at the PSA office (850) 434-2800.

Pelicans to hold 1st ever Winter Training Academy

The Pensacola Pelicans 1st ever Winter Training Academy begins November 14 and runs through December 16. The sessions, which are every Tuesday and Saturday, offer professional instruction in hitting, pitching, fielding, and team baseball.

The professional coaching staff, including former UWF players, former Pelicans players, and former Major League Baseball players, offer instruction specific to their position of expertise to develop every part of a player's game.

Some of the goals of the program are:

-Easy transition from off-season to regular season
-Help player get into shape now, focus on game situation later
-Player development through professional instruction
-Work in conjunction of high school coaches to assist player in reaching the next level

The professional Instruction is:

-Formatted and run similar to major league baseball spring training
-Professional instructors specific to their position of expertise
-Emphasis on developing every part of player's game
-Learn and develop the discipline and hard work it takes to reach the next level

For more information, contact andrew@pensacolapelicans.com or visit the training academy website at www.pelicanstrainingacademy.com.