HUNTSVILLE – Southeastern Conference rivals Alabama and Tennessee will visit the Valley next month to settle a women’s soccer dispute at the Loretta Spencer Complex.

The inaugural Rocket City Spring Shootout is set for March 23.

“We are delighted to be a part of the inaugural ‘Rocket City Spring Shootout’!” Alabama head coach Wes Hart said. “I cannot think of a better way to kick off what we hope will be an annual event than with our rivals to the north – Tennessee. Our matches with them are always highly contested and Huntsville is a fitting location for this ‘Border Battle’.

“This will be a great opportunity for the soccer communities and Crimson Tide fans of northern Alabama to check out some SEC level women’s soccer while hopefully supporting other levels of the game during the event as well.”

Gulf South Conference members Union and Trevecca Nazarene are part of the Shootout doubleheader kicking off at 1 p.m. Alabama’s reserves will play a shortened match against Union or Trevecca following the full match versus Tennessee.

“The Rocket City Spring Shootout continues our drive to be one of the premier women’s sports destinations in the country,” said Joel Lamp, sports manager for the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The teamwork between the CVB, Sports Commission, Parks & Recreation, and Huntsville City FC enables us to bring two nationally ranked programs to Huntsville and start a tradition that deepens our community’s love for the beautiful game.”

“Huntsville has shown time and again that we are a soccer city and we are excited to add a new chapter to that story,” said Mark Russell, executive director of the Huntsville Sports Commission. “This is a tremendous opportunity to expose our young soccer players to these great athletes and the opportunities that exist after high school.”

Tickets for the Shootout are on sale through the Huntsville City FC online box office for $10 each. More events around the Shootout will be announced.

“We are thrilled to host two SEC rivals at our club’s training grounds for what is sure to be an exciting match,” said Chad Emerson, Managing Director of Business Operations for Huntsville City FC. “We are confident this match will continue to grow and strengthen the game of soccer in North Alabama and we look forward to welcoming the Crimson Tide, the Lady Volunteers and soccer fans from across the region to our facilities.”