Chattanooga PAL kickball turf wars crown Washington Hill Rec Center champions

Washington Hill Rec Center captured the championship at the 2026 PAL Kickball Turf Wars, as the Chattanooga Police Department turned Finley Stadium into a summer stage for youth kickball, police outreach and a packed day of competition. CPD said there was no shortage of smiles, sweat or competitiveness as the tournament played out, and it identified Washington Hill Rec Center as the team that finished on top.

The second annual event was scheduled for July 22 at 1 p.m. at Finley Stadium, 1826 Reggie White Blvd. in Chattanooga, and CPD described it as completely free. Another department post said the tournament was open to kids ages 12 to 18 and all skill levels, with Sgt. Robin Davenport listed at (423) 544-2841 for more information. CPD also hosted a free kickball game on July 23 for players ages 12 to 17, keeping the focus on organized play for local teens.

The setting mattered as much as the bracket. Finley Stadium gave the tournament a bigger platform than a neighborhood field, and that helped frame the day as more than a casual pickup game. For Washington Hill Rec Center, the title carried extra weight in a venue usually reserved for larger sporting occasions, where a youth championship feels like part of the city’s main event calendar rather than a side program.

The tournament also fit into a broader push by Chattanooga police to use sport as outreach. CPD says its Police Activities League is a community outreach program aimed at building positive relationships between police officers and young people, and the City of Chattanooga revived the PAL program in March 2025. A Chattanooga Times Free Press story on March 21, 2025 described PAL as a revived Chattanooga police outreach effort, and Local 3 News noted in July 2026 that registration for the second annual Kickball Turf Wars was open.

That continuity gives the Washington Hill Rec Center title more context than a simple scoreboard result. It shows a youth sports program returning for a second year, drawing teens to a free event at a major venue and giving CPD a visible way to meet young residents on the field instead of across a desk. In a summer sports scene often shaped by fees and select teams, the PAL tournament stood out for its access, its scale and the way it turned a kickball championship into a public-facing community moment.