City Beat: Birmingham Bowl returns, World Games to boost disability access, BBA seeks new leader
College football will be back in Birmingham this holiday season. Seeking to be more inclusive of athletes and fans with disabilities, The World Games 2022 Birmingham is partnering with Lakeshore Foundation. The president and CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance resigned recently. The Birmingham Legion FC, after a strong second season, signed one of its best players to a new contract.
NEW YEAR’S DAY ACTION
The TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl will be played at Legion Field on Jan. 1 at 11 a.m. and broadcast by ESPN2.
The 15th annual event is one of the few bowl games to be played on New Year’s Day, said Mark Meadows, the game’s executive director.
Organizers look forward to “showcasing the city of Birmingham to a national television audience,” Meadows said in a Birmingham City Council news release.
Over its 15 years, the bowl has made an economic impact on the city of about $151 million, City Council President William Parker said.
The city will work with its partners to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines at the event, Parker said in the release.
Previous sponsors of the Birmingham Bowl, which is owned by ESPN, include papajohns.com and BBVA Compass bank.
The 14th annual Birmingham Bowl, played Jan. 2, was the first with TicketSmarter as title sponsor. The Cincinnati Bearcats of the American Athletic Conference beat the Boston College Eagles of the Atlantic Coast Conference 38-6 in front of about 28,000 fans.
The highest attendance at the bowl was set in 2013, when SEC school Ole Miss played the University of Pittsburgh in front of about 59,000 fans.
For more information, go to ticketsmarterbirminghambowl.com.
WORLD GAMES INCLUSION
The World Games 2022 Birmingham recently announced a partnership with Lakeshore Foundation to ensure disability inclusion at the games, according to a news release from TWG2022.
The partnership — called “A Journey to One World, One Games” — will focus on making the event more inclusive of adapted sports, athletes, fans and experiences for people with a disability, according to a news release from TWG2022, according to the release.
“Our goal for this program is to make The World Games 2022 a welcoming, accessible and inclusive event for all,” Nick Sellers, CEO of The World Games 2022 said in the release.
“Birmingham’s greatest legacy is its fight for tolerance and inclusion for all people,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said. “It’s only right that the Birmingham Organizing Committee’s partnership with the Lakeshore Foundation establishes a more inclusive experience.”
The initiative will focus on four priorities: establishing a diverse and representative steering committee; creating an inclusive and accessible athlete experience; enhancing accessibility and inclusion for fans; and developing a training and education program for staff, volunteers and partners.
The World Games 2022 will also be the first edition of the games to include an adapted sport. Low-point wheelchair rugby was added to the program as an invitational sport in April 2018.
“We are looking forward to this new experience, and we want to use the learnings from this debut to further develop our event in terms of inclusion in an elite sports event,” said Joachim Gossow, CEO of the International World Games Association.
The World Games 2022 Birmingham will take place July 7-17, 2022.
BBA CHIEF STEPS DOWN
The Birmingham Business Alliance, the largest economic development organization in the region, is searching for a new leader at press time.
The BBA announced Nov. 6 that President and CEO Kenneth Coleman had resigned to accept a new position as a senior executive for a utility company in Texas after only four months in Birmingham. He was hired in July.
Coleman’s resignation took effect Nov. 16.
Fred McCallum will serve as interim president and CEO until the end of 2020, according to a BBA news release.
“I regret the short nature of Kenny’s term with our organization, but I’m supportive of this opportunity for Kenny and his family,” current BBA Chairman Jim Gorrie said.
The search for a new president and CEO is being led by incoming BBA Chairman Mark Tarr.
“We are optimistic about our prospects and envision this process being short,” Tarr said. “We had a strong list of candidates in our previous search and will expedite the process to fill the position.”
Currently the BBA is in the final stages of producing its long-range strategic plan, which has been developed over 18 months.
“I am confident in our transition plan and the long-term strategic plan we are developing for Birmingham and the BBA,” Gorrie said.
Coleman was the first African American to head the BBA. A veteran executive, mainly with the Southern Company and its subsidiaries, he also had a history in Birmingham.
Coleman played baseball with the Birmingham Barons in the 1990s and later worked for the Metropolitan Development Board, the predecessor to the BBA.
LEGION FC POSTSEASON
The Birmingham Legion FC, the city’s entry in the United Soccer League (USL), had a good record in 2020, its second in the league.
The Legion finished with seven wins, five losses and four draws. They were knocked out of the USL Championship playoffs in October by Tampa Bay.
But activity with the club continues in the offseason.
Birmingham Legion FC announced Oct. 30 that midfielder Bruno Lapa has signed a new multiyear contract with the team.
“He has proven to be a dynamic attacking player in this league, he fits in well in our locker room, and we think he still has potential to get even better,” Legion FC President and General Manager Jay Heaps said in a club news release.
As a rookie, Lapa, 23, started all 17 matches for the Legion in 2020, was voted Team MVP and earned a spot on the USL Championship All-League First Team.
Legion teammate Alex Crognale, a defender, made the All-League Second Team. Crognale was also named the club’s 2020 Defender of the Year.