Chris Collins Foundation opens registration for 8th annual WIFFLE Ball tournament

Registration is open for the Chris Collins Foundation’s 8th annual WIFFLE Ball tournament, set for Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1268 Tuckertown Rd. in Wakefield, Rhode Island. The entry fee is $125 per team, and the field is capped at 64 teams.

Teams will be built around 3 to 5 players, giving returning groups and first-time entrants a clear roster target as August approaches. Each registered participant will receive a tournament T-shirt, two raffle tickets and additional extras, while the day will also include music, free food and drinks, a raffle, cornhole and a Home Run Derby. The setup makes the event more than a quick bracket stop; it is planned as a full afternoon of WIFFLE Ball action and side events around the games.

The tournament’s charitable mission remains its central draw. All proceeds benefit The Chris Collins Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that says its mission is “Shining a light on mental illness.” The foundation says its goal is to heighten awareness and advance education about mental illness, especially in schools, while promoting early detection and help-seeking when support is needed. It also says donations help fund the Peer to Peer Mental Health Awareness Program, which is designed to promote early detection of mental health struggles and encourage help-seeking and support.

That public-health tie has shown up around the event before. A Rhode Island Department of Health social media post noted state public health staff attended a previous Chris Collins Foundation WIFFLE Ball tournament in South Kingstown with suicide prevention materials, underscoring the foundation’s effort to use the event as a platform for mental health awareness as well as competition.

The Wakefield tournament has already become a summer fixture. Earlier editions included a 6th annual tournament promoted for Saturday, Aug. 3, with hours listed as 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and a 2021 post previewed the 3rd annual event. By its eighth year, the tournament has settled into a recognizable Rhode Island routine: a capped field, a short-format bracket and a day built around WIFFLE Ball, with the fundraising mission woven into every part of it.

For teams mapping out August, the calendar is already clear. The roster limit, entry fee and 64-team cap leave little room for late planning, and the foundation’s annual format suggests another packed day in Wakefield when the first pitch is thrown.