Hoover High School Buccaneers
With the ability to expand to accommodate over 15,000 football fans, the Hoover Met lends itself well to high school football.
Since 2000, Hoover High School Buccaneers have called the Hoover Met home. And home has served them well. Hoover High School has won the Class 6A football championship three times, in 2000, 2002 and most recently in 2003.

Regional opponents for Hoover High School include Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, John Carroll Catholic, Parker, Carver, West End and Woodlawn.

For more information about Hoover High School and Hoover High School Buccaneers, please call (205) 439-1200 or visit www.hoover.k12.al.us/hhs.

From minor league baseball to the SEC baseball tournament to high school football, the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium is home to Birmingham’s sports fans.
Although mainly associated with the Birmingham Barons, the Class AA-minor league team for the Chicago White Sox, the Hoover Met is also home to the SEC baseball tournament and to the Hoover High School Buccaneers football team. In addition, the Alabama High School Athletic Association will host four of the six high school classification football championship games at the Hoover Met. The Hoover High School Invitational Marching Band Festival takes place there in October.

Opened in 1988, the 10,800-seat facility has become one of the most favored venues for large gatherings in the Jefferson/Shelby County area. In 2002, the City of Hoover added an RV Park to the complex, complete with 142 clearly-marked pull-through spaces, 20, 30 & 50-amp electrical hook-ups, water hookups, sanitary hookups and plenty of good company during stadium events. Additional space is available for canopies and tow cars. In October of 2004, the Hoover City Council voted to expand the current facility.

The Hoover Met also has year-round banquet facilities that can accommodate 300 to 500 guests. On-site catering is available for meetings, reunions, training sessions, receptions, and other occasions. In addition, the entire Hoover Met complex is available for rent, depending on baseball schedules and the time of year, to large church, school, corporate, or community groups.

For information on Barons game day events, call the Barons office at (205) 988-3200; for information on off-season rentals and catering, call (205) 987-8617; for RV Park information, call Cheryl Combs at (205) 739-4400 or toll-free at (8660 HOOVERV or visit www.hooveral.org.

Barons Baseball
When Hoover Metropolitan Stadium opened in 1988, the historic Birmingham Barons came to Hoover. Tracing back to 1885 when the team was known as the Birmingham Coal Barons, the team is part of one of the proudest traditions in professional sports: Southern League Baseball.

Since first playing at the Hoover Met before 13,000 excited fans on Opening Night, the Barons have won three Southern League titles, the most recent being in 2002.
A number of former Barons are currently playing on major league teams. The Barons’ roster has included such familiar sports celebrities as Bo Jackson, American League MVP Frank Thomas, Cy Young Award winner Jack McDowell, Robin Ventura and NBA superstar Michael Jordan.

The Barons provide not only great baseball, but also quality, affordable family entertainment. With special entertainers, promotional giveaways, contests and the new Family Fun Park for kids, there is something for everyone, even those who may not be big baseball fans.

In the spirit of community for which the Barons have long been known, the team hosts birthday and team parties, youth clinics, and the Field of Dreams promotion where a youth baseball or softball team takes the field with the Barons during the national anthem.
For information on games or related events, call the Birmingham Barons Baseball office at (205) 988-3200 or visit www.barons.com.

SEC Baseball
The SEC Baseball Tournament ranks as some of the finest college baseball in the country and since 1998, Hoover has played a major role. In May 2004, Hoover Metropolitan Stadium hosted its seventh SEC tournament. Afterward, SEC athletic directors announced an extension of their contract with the Hoover Met for three years with the tournament slated to remain in Hoover through 2006.

The tournament involves teams from eight SEC schools meeting in a double-elimination conference version of the College World Series. The field includes the top two teams from the SEC’s Eastern and Western Divisions, plus four at-large bids based on conference winning percentages. The teams are seeded 1-8 with the two divisional champions guaranteed the top two seeds. The 2004 tournament ended with South Carolina outlasting Vanderbilt to win its first SEC championship.

The SEC Baseball Tournament organizers rely heavily on volunteers for hospitality, operations, and media relations.
To volunteer, call Shannon Ealy at (205) 967-4745, ext. 126. For more on SEC Baseball, visit www.secsports.com.