Established in 1991
The Augusta Sports Council was established in 1991 by a group of sports-minded, community driven champions with a goal of recruiting sporting events to the Augusta area. Prior to 1991, Augusta only operated nationally in a couple of sports markets. But it’s 30 years later, and our management team has established itself as one of the best in the country and has partnerships with more than a dozen niche sports.
In our 30 years as the Augusta Sports Council, we have created, recruited or supported more than 800 events. From the small to the multi-sport, these events have attracted 450,000 athletes to the area, leaving behind more than $200 million in economic impact. A couple of stand-out opportunities include the 1996 Olympic Box-Offs, the 1999 and 2002 Georgia Games Championships, NIKE Peach Jam Basketball (1996-present), ESPN Bassmaster Tournament and more recently IRONMAN® 70.3® Augusta, billed as North America's largest IRONMAN® 70.3® event, GHSA Boys & Girls State Golf Championships, the creations of the Ray Guy Award that recognizes the top FBS collegiate punter and is presented annually during The Home Depot College Football Awards, broadcast live on ESPN, and the Augusta Half Marathon/10K/5K.
For our 30th Anniversary, we’d like to take a walk down memory lane and celebrate all that #AUGUSTASPORTS has come to mean in the CSRA, and we want you to help us! Share your most memorable story with us by clicking on the button below and filling out the linked form. Thank you for all that you have done to help us make a lasting, positive impact on our city through sports. Cheers to the next 30 years!
A New Look for a New Era
For our 30th Birthday, we got a stellar present from our pals at Wier/Stewart, a makeover! With nods to our past logo (we’ll always love you A-Man), a refresh of our energetic color scheme, and some cohesion with the branding of our friends at the Augusta CVB, we think this new look is a perfect blend of past and future, and it fits us just right.
30 Years of #AUGUSTASPORTS
Check out all of our 30th Anniversary celebration social posts below!
In with the new...
Augusta has a rich cycling history. Check out all the cycling events that have taken place in the AUG!
Augusta hosted the USSSA World Military Softball Tournament in the summer of 2016 at Diamond Lakes Regional Park. This tournament was the largest military softball tournament in the world. The tournament celebrated its 15th year and brought in over 1,500 athletes. Players travelled from across the United States and Germany to play in this event. Participants included active military, guard/reserve, retired military, DOD civilians and DOD contractors.
"The return of the Nike Peach Jam in July 2021 was enough by itself to create economic impact for our community. Add in a second week and the return of the Nike Girls’ Nationals to Riverview Park and the Augusta Convention Center and we should be seeing record numbers for the month of July. The first leg of this year’s event will be the Boys’ EYBL qualifier July 13-19 featuring Nike’s best 15,16, and 17 year old teams competing for the right to qualify for the Peach Jam. Over 300 college coaches will be anxious to get to our area to check out some of the nation’s best young basketball talent. The qualifiers will advance to Peach Jam week, July 20-25, and will be joined by Nike’s Girls Elite Youth Basketball League’s best 32 Girls 16U and 17U teams for the Nike Nationals. Add in another 200 plus women’s college coaches to the men’s number of coaches in town and our community will be the place to be for summer basketball." - Rick Meyer, Director of North Augusta Parks and Recreation
This year mark's the 25th Anniversary of the EYBL Nike Peach Jam, one of the longest running and most prestigious youth basketball tournaments in the nation! Each year, this event brings in thousands of dollars to the North Augusta and Augusta community! __ "The return of the Nike Peach Jam in July 2021 was enough by itself to create economic impact for our community. Add in a second week and the return of the Nike Girls’ Nationals to Riverview Park and the Augusta Convention Center and we should be seeing record numbers for the month of July. The first leg of this year’s event will be the Boys’ EYBL qualifier July 13-19 featuring Nike’s best 15,16, and 17 year old teams competing for the right to qualify for the Peach Jam. Over 300 college coaches will be anxious to get to our area to check out some of the nation’s best young basketball talent. The qualifiers will advance to Peach Jam week, July 20-25, and will be joined by Nike’s Girls Elite Youth Basketball League’s best 32 Girls 16U and 17U teams for the Nike Nationals. Add in another 200 plus women’s college coaches to the men’s number of coaches in town and our community will be the place to be for summer basketball." - Rick Meyer, Director of North Augusta Parks and Recreation "Peach Jam has played a significant role in establishing the Augusta Sports Council as a premier sporting events organization, and in making the Augusta and North Augusta area the hot spot for youth basketball and college recruiting. The positive effect the Peach Jam has had on our community is nearly immeasurable." - Clint Bryant, Athletic Director of Augusta University
"The Augusta area also has a long and rich tradition with the sport of disc golf, beginning with the installation of the first course at Pendleton King Park in 1989, to the international epicenter of the sport that it is today. Our community now features nearly a dozen courses and is a bucket list destination for all disc golfers as the host of numerous PDGA Major events including the World Championships (3 times), and home of the International Disc Golf Center and offices of the Professional Disc Golf Association. Since the relocation of the PDGA to our community in 2005, disc golf transformed from a relatively unknown game to one of the fastest growing sports in the world today, and Augusta's influence was a key factor in this growth and success." Brian Graham Augusta Sports Council, CEO Disc Golf Hall of Fame Inductee PDGA Executive Director (2007-2016)
Did you know that the Augusta Sports Council played a key role in the 1996 Olympics? From 1995-1996, the ASC was instrumental in making Augusta, GA home to the very first Pre-Olympic Training Camps! Athletes from 11 countries came to train in 9 different sports (rowing, boxing, shooting, fencing, cycling, equestrian, team handball, badminton, and table tennis) while also acclimatizing to the intense southern heat and humidity. Augusta was also home to the ’96 Olympic Box off which took place at the Bell Auditorium and premiered on NBC Primetime. #AUGUSTASPORTS #ASC30 #LoveAugusta
On August 2, 2014, our very own punting legend, Ray Guy was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame! Ray is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Help us wish Ray and the entire Guy family congratulations on this incredible accomplishment!
Did you know that USA's Paralympic Men's Wheelchair Basketball Team Captain and 2x Medalist Steve Serio was a speaker at the 2018 G.A.M.E.S Awards Banquet here in Augusta, GA? You can watch him at action at this year's Paralympic Games in Tokyo. His next game is the men's wheelchair basketball quarterfinals on September 1 at 12:30 pm! ___ #AUGUSTASPORTS #LoveAugusta #TeamUSA
Did you know that this year was the 12th time that IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta has been in the Garden City? This event is one of the largest IRONMAN 70.3 events in the world with a typical athlete participation of 3000+. Athletes swim 1.2 miles in the Savannah River, bike 56 miles through South Augusta, and finish with a 13.1 run through Downtown Augusta. Thanks to our awesome volunteers, the incredible IRONMAN staff, and the warm welcome from our community (here's looking at you IM Local participants!), IRONMAN will be returning to Augusta through 2025! #AUGUSTASPORTS #LoveAugusta
Did you know that the Augusta Sports Council not only honors the best collegiate punter in the FBS with the Ray Guy Award, but also honors the best punter in the FCS with the FCS Punter of the Year Award? The fall 2021 season will mark the 3rd year of this award. Learn more about the phenomenal punters in the FCS by clicking the image above!
Did you know that Augusta, GA is home to the Ray Guy Award? __ The Ray Guy Award - named for football's premier punter - honors the nation's best collegiate punter in the FBS. The Augusta Sports Council (ASC) created the award in 2000. Along with other awards such as the Heisman Trophy and the Doak Walker Award, the Ray Guy Award honors an important member of any football team. The ASC presents the award live on The Home Depot College Football Awards broadcast on ESPN. __ Augusta orthopedic surgeon and sculptor Dr. John Savage Jr. created the bronze Ray Guy Award trophy in the likeness of the punting legend from Thomson, GA. __ #ASC30 #AUGUSTASPORTS #LoveAugusta
Did you know that the Augusta Half Marathon will take place for the 14th year in a row on February 26, 2022? AND it used to take place as a Halloween themed event in October! Did you run in this spooky event? __ The 13.1-mile road race takes place in the late winter of 2022 with a course that takes runners through some of the Garden City’s most scenic areas, showing off its wide, tree-lined streets, the architecture of its restored and revitalized downtown areas, and its authentic Southern charm. This event serves as the fundraiser for the annual G.A.M.E.S Scholarship program which has awarded over $58,000 in college scholarship money to 48 graduating student-athletes. Each race registration helps fund scholarships for students in our community! __ www.AugustaHalf.org __ #ASC30 #AUGUSTASPORTS #LoveAugusta
The GAMES Scholarship began in 2011 as part of the Augusta Sports Council’s annual G.A.M.E.S. Awards which was an annual program created to highlight outstanding amateur athletes who represented a broad spectrum of sports disciplines in the area. To date, the Augusta Sports Council has awarded over $58,000 in college scholarships to 48 graduating high school student athletes in the Augusta community.