When Laura Burt’s dad, Ron Creel, Sr., a successful businessman and community leader, was approached in 1982 by United States Olympic Committee Executive Director Baaron Pittenger — on the recommendation of Alabama Gov. George Wallace — with the idea for an Olympic-style sports competition on the state level, little did he or anyone else know that the Alabama State Games would be still growing heading into its 43rd year of competition this June.
Burt, who got her start as a volunteer under her dad’s direction, and later walked in the Opening Ceremonies of the event as the proud mother of an athlete, is now carrying on her father’s legacy as the ASF Foundation’s Executive Director/CEO, as her father, who will turn 88 in May, moves toward retirement.
“I came on in 2021 as the Director of Development, and then three years later I was made Executive Director,” Burt said. “In June, the Board made me the CEO, as my father is working on retirement.”
But Creel hasn’t stepped away just yet. He remains very involved with the Alabama State Games that he established while in his 40s, and he continues to be the Chairman of the Board. In fact, as she spoke with the NFCA for this story, she said he had been in contact with her to set up a meeting.
“He’s wanting to come in here and talk about something this afternoon,” she smiled.
When Creel organized and presided over the first Alabama State Games in 1983 at Auburn University, it was just four sports and 600 athletes. In 2026, there will be more than 20 sports and well over 4,000 participating athletes of all ages and skill levels representing 19 states for the latest edition of the event on June 12-14.
“We had softball several years before I joined,” Burt said. “It had stopped for a few years. Then, when (Sport Coordinator Griffin Pritchard) came on board, one of the sports that Griffin wanted to add back in was softball.”
The softball portion of the wide-ranging sports competition blossomed last year when they partnered with Mike McLeskey and USSSA Alabama.
“That was the ignition switch we needed,” Pritchard said. “He promised us a 48-team tournament and we ended up playing with 67 on 18 diamonds. This year, we opened registration in December and we now have 50 teams registered, competing on 25 diamonds across Bill Noble Park in Gardendale, and Trussville Baseball & Softball Complex and Liberty Park in Vestavia Hills.”
Pritchard said they can accommodate as many as 148 teams for the softball tournament, which is scheduled for June 13-14. Competition ranges from 8U and 10U, to 12U, 14U and a combined 16U-18U event for high school athletes. Squads are guaranteed four games in the double-elimination format.
“Normal softball tournaments are just that. You show up on a Saturday, or maybe a Friday, and you get your pool, you play your four games and you go home,” Pritchard explained. “Ours is an actual event. It combines everything before you get to the tournament — and the tournament experience is special.”
From the Parade of Athletes at the Opening Ceremonies to the podium celebration for the gold, silver and bronze medalists and the friendships established by meeting athletes you wouldn’t normally come into contact with from Alabama and other states, this is an undeniably unique event.
“Having softball included in the Alabama State Games means something much deeper than just hosting another tournament,” McLeskey said. “It represents an opportunity to be part of something that celebrates the spirit of competition, community, and pride across the entire state of Alabama. Softball in the Alabama State Games brings together athletes from different towns, backgrounds, and programs to compete on a bigger stage.”
“For many young players, it’s a chance to represent where they come from, wear their team’s name with pride, and be part of an event that feels special, it's almost like their own version of the Olympics for Alabama athletes. For me personally, it means helping create an experience these girls will remember for the rest of their lives. It’s about more than wins and losses. It’s about the smiles when a team takes the field, the excitement of parents cheering from the stands, and the friendships that are built through the game.”
Medalists from each state are eligible to move on to the National Congress of State Games, which is held every two years. That two-year cycle occurs this year, with the 2026 event slated to be hosted by Penn State University on July 24-Aug. 2, 2026 in State College, Pa.
Another unique part of the Alabama State Games is its scholarship program, which to date has awarded more than $460,000 to participating athletes. This year, the ASF Foundation will award 17 $2,500 academic scholarships to individuals, who can range in age anywhere from five to 75. The award can be used at any two- or four-year institution or trade school — in or out of state — wherever the recipient chooses.
It started as an application process, but they have since abandoned that method in favor of a drawing, in order to give everyone an opportunity to win a scholarship.
“Students with the highest grades were always going to get the scholarships, and we wanted to encourage maybe a B-minus or C student to further their education,” Burt explained. “You don’t know what is happening — it could be a sickness or death of a parent negatively impacting one’s grades — and we don’t think grades should be the sole determining factor for how successful a person will be.”
She pointed out that the scholarship can go to anyone. Four of the recipients last year happened to be softball players.
“It’s all ages, all abilities,” Burt said. “We hold the scholarship in trust until it is needed. For someone who may not need it, there is an affidavit process where they can transfer it to somebody. If someone is in their 70s and has been to college and they don’t want to go back, they can gift it to a grandchild, a neighbor, what have you.”
“We believe anyone can be successful. We just want to be a positive catalyst to help them become what they want to become.”
This year, as an officially-designated event celebrating America’s 250th birthday, the Alabama State Games will spotlight the heroes, military veterans, musicians, artists and descendants of those people who have contributed to making the United States what it is today.
The Opening Ceremony, which is free to attend, takes place at 7 p.m. on June 12 at Legacy Arena at the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex in Birmingham, Ala. This year’s sports lineup, which is expected to be the biggest in the event’s history, features the return of bass fishing and mountain biking, the debut of billiards, futsal, kickball and STUNT, and continued growth in traditional sports such as track and field, softball, tennis and wrestling.
Burt and Pritchard said the year-long planning and logistics are all worthwhile once the event happens.
“The hard work of it all, it’s all worth it the night of the Opening Ceremonies,” Burt said. “And getting to see the competition, there’s really nothing better. We are a sports society. We come together around sports. It’s just a great atmosphere.”
“When you walk in the arena and you see the bells and whistles, and when you see the kids come out in the Parade of Athletes and you experience it, it’s something amazing,” Pritchard added.
For more details about the softball event, visit https://event.alagames.com/alagames-softball
A complete list of the sports being offered and their registration portals for 2026 is available at https://www.ALAGAMES.com
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is provided as part of a paid partnership between the NFCA and the Alabama State Games.
