Great Lakes Odd Year Nationals Details

Congratulations on an outstanding 2026 season. This season, Ohio is hosting the Great Lakes/Odd Year National-Championships for "9u/11u/13u/15u" registered teams. The event is being held in the SW Ohio region of the state in Dayton the week of July 22-26,2026. The host facility will be Action Sports Complex in Dayton, OH. Action Sports is an 8-diamond turf complex with temp fencing at 200' on 4 fields and 225' permanent fencing on 4 fields. We also may use Tom Cloud Park-Huber Heights for overflow on Thurs/Friday if needed.

Teams are encouraged to download the USSSA app and save the event. This is where the most up-to-date information will populate. Click here to download the app if needed: USSSA App Page. There is also an event page set up here: USSSA-Great Lakes/Odd-Year National Championships-Dayton, OH

Format: The USSSA Fast-Pitch program will use a 5-game guarantee format in its 9u/11u/13u/15u National Championships Tournament. Teams will be placed into random pools and play a 3-game round-robin. All teams will then be seeded using your pool standings into a double-elimination championship bracket following pool play. To guarantee your spot in the tournament, your team will need to complete the online entry process. All entries must be paid online thru the www.usssa.com website. You will be required to submit your entry and payment online. At this point your team entry is subject to approval by your state director. Once approved, your entry will be accepted into this National Championship. Once accepted into the event, teams will be sent information on what is required and all deadlines to meet. All roster/gate/merchandise pre-orders paperwork for the event must be completed no later than noon on July 10, 2026. The entry fee for this event is $795.

Rosters and Insurance: All team rosters must be on the USSSA website and must be the one that you have earned your berth to this event with and was submitted for approval to play this event. Violation of this could result in teams' removal from the event. Team coach will be required to sign a copy of the roster at check in and also show birth certificates along with turning in a copy of the team's insurance policy. Teams should also have proof of age in their coach's possession at all times. Proof of age must be verified by a government issued document that identifies the player by name, gender, and birthdate. Failure to produce such a document if asked for by a tournament official or deemed to be fraudulent by a tournament official will result in the offending team losing the game, being eliminated from the tournament, being placed last in the standings, and forfeiting all awards, sponsors travel monies, entry fee for the event, and berths that would have been awarded at the event. Teams will need to show proof of team insurance at the pre-event check in. Forms can also be emailed to the event director:

Forms Check List: Please click on this link for the Forms Check List. This is what you will need to send with your other paperwork to the tournament director prior to July 10, 2026.

Tournament Rules: All play will be governed by the official USSSA Fast-Pitch softball rulebook and rule addendums. Note that the rulebook online will supersede the latest printed version if a discrepancy exists. Click here for the rulebook: 2026 USSSA FP Rulebook.

Tournament Awards for each division:

1. Team Trophies (Acrylics)
2. Individual Awards (Rings)
3. Team Sportsmanship Award
4. Outstanding Pitcher Award
5. Outstanding Offensive Player Award
6. Outstanding Defensive Player Award
7. MVP Award

Gift Exchange: There will be a non-mandatory gift exchange during one of your pool games. Teams wishing to participate should bring something representative of your home area, the value of which is not important. It is recommended that teams bring 16 gifts to exchange. Please let tournament staff know if you do not find anyone to participate with and we will help out.

Host Complex: Action Sports Complex is a private for profit park. As such, Teams are not permitted to bring in coolers. Team water jugs are permitted. Pets are also not permitted. Action and any of the overflow parks prides themself on safe playing conditions, good concessions along with pricing, and a clean facility to bring the family to watch youth sports.

Hotels and Lodging: The Great Lakes Odd Year-National Championships will use a housing coordinator for the event. That will be posted after Jan 4, 2026.

Park Admission: There is a gate fee admission for the week for the complex. Most National events have gate fees as high as $20-$25 per person daily to enter the complex. If you multiply that by 3-4 people per player and a team can easily drop over $1000-$1250 in gate fees thru out the week. Our gate fee is pre-paid for the week and is $445 total per team. This also means no fumbling for gate or parking passes each morning at the event or coming to the park early pick up passes either.

Click here to download that form: Gate Pass Form. There will also be a link to pay online with a credit card. That link is right here: USSSA Great Lakes National Championships online tournament listing

National Championships Merchandise: There will be souvenirs available to purchase from Double Eagle Sports both on a pre-order basis and at the tournament site. There will be a form to download along with a link to purchase online. This link will go active as of June 1, 2026. There will be a merchandise page set up to place pre-orders from.

Tentative Schedule: For a tentative schedule - click here: Tentative Weekly Schedule. Pool game schedules will not be mailed out in advance nor will bracket schedules. These will be posted to the USSSA website and the USSSA app. Please note that times are subject to change. Please verify itinerary during team check in. Once the event begins, managers must check the USSSA APP for any updates or changes. This will be the only bracket that counts. Teams are also encouraged to make sure they have all of their team and coach data updated including text and email information. The USSSA system is set to email coaches and/or team members. If you have parents that you want to get information to quickly, list their email for your players information.

Opening Day Schedule (July 22,2026) and Event Timeline:

Weds - July 26,2026:

Time: 11:00 AM - Team Check-In starts at Tournament Headquarters.

Time: 11:00 AM - Team "Skills" Challenges on Fields 5-8.

Time: 2:00 PM - Coaches Meeting. Field 1 near the park entrance.

Time: 3:00 PM - Umpires Meeting.

Time: 4:00 PM - Team Line up for Parade of teams at Field 1 parking lot. Age group: Youngest to oldest in Alphabetical order.

Time: 5:00 PM - Parade of Teams/Opening Party throughout the park.

Thursday - July 23, 2026:

Time: 8:00 AM - Pool play begins for all age groups.

Friday - July 24, 2026:

Time: 8:00 AM - Pool play continues or bracket play starts depending on schedule.

Saturday - July 25,2026:

Time: 8:00 AM - Bracket Play resumes (All Age groups)

Time: Approx 3:00 PM - 9u & 15u championships.

Sunday - July 26, 2026:

Time: 8:00 AM - Bracket Play resumes for 11u & 13u final 4-6 teams.

Time: 1:15 PM - 11u & 13u Championships.

After final game: Awards ceremonies at hub between fields 5-8.

Information regarding "Odd Year" Classifications: USSSA offers the "odd year" classification for teams that are true 1st year teams in a new age group. Click here for a link to 2026 USSSA Age Groups/birthdays

Teams down an age group are also encouraged to participate. This means 10u teams can play in 11u, 12u teams can play in 13u, and 14u teams can play in 15u. When those traditional age groups play up, they reap the benefit of double USSSA National system points plus a good challenge or "tune up" prior to the traditional age groups National events. There is also an exception that can be made for teams that have one player that puts them out of the Odd Year classification. That one player can be released for this event and then added back to the roster for the remainder of the season once the event is completed. Please contact the Ohio USSSA State Office for more details.

TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT:

Your team must be registered online to enter events online. Go to www.usssa.com and then go to the Fastpitch Section. Click on Log in/Log out and enter your log in id and password. Below your team's name, you will find the option "Find A Tournament / League". Click in the circle next to it and then click submit. Set your search criteria by clicking on the options that you would like to find tournaments on. The easiest way to find this event is to choose Ohio for the state, and choose National Championships. This will bring up the 4 age group listings for this event.

(Note: You may click in the circle under Find an Event to show only events for the class you select or show all events your team is eligible to participate in. In the event type, you will get better results with keeping the All Tournaments and League Formats option selected.) You may enter a date if you would like, or you may leave it blank.

Click submit. Once you've found the age group for this tournament, click on the amount to Pay online now. This will bring you to the online payment page. Fill in all the required information. You will be given a confirmation page when your online payment is accepted. Teams will still need to contact their respective state director to make sure they meet the requirements to attend National Championship events. These may vary state to state.