February 2026 | Volume 14 | Issue 5
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On the Nearly 160,000 people attended the 2025 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Photo by Jon Anderson.
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Hoover Met Complex generates $101 million economic impact
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By JON ANDERSON The Hoover Metropolitan Complex continues to pay off great dividends, with a record 785,000 visitors in fiscal 2025 and record $101 million economic impact, General Manager Shannon Ealy said. That means the number of visitors at the complex was 10% higher than it has ever been, and the economic impact was 11% higher, Ealy said. These numbers represent the period from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025. The main reason for the growth was about a dozen new events at the complex, including several large basketball tournaments at the Finley Center, Ealy said. Attendance at events and tournaments with groups coming from outside Hoover was just under 500,000 people, including: ► 245,000 people at baseball events ► 95,000 at soccer events ► 45,000 at special events, trade shows and meetings ► 32,000 at volleyball events ► 27,000 at basketball events ► 18,000 at softball events ► 16,000 at football events ► 14,000 at mat sports such as cheerleading and wrestling ► 6,000 at lacrosse events ► 2,000 at tennis events
Bumpus 8th grader breaking records, turning heads By EMILY REED
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eese Gonzalez first discovered a fondness for running from her parents, David and Joy Gonzalez, who both competitively ran in college years ago. She mainly did it for fun when she was very young, but now as an eighth grader at Bumpus Middle School, the 13-year-old is making a solid mark in the running community in Hoover and across the state. Because of her talent, Reese was bumped up from middle school to run with the Hoover High School cross-country team this year.
See GONZALEZ | page 24 Reese Gonzalez, an eighth grader at Bumpus Middle School, trains on the track at Hoover High School, where she runs for the varsity team. Photo by Allison Carpenter.
INSIDE
Sponsors.................. 4 City............................ 6
Schoolhouse............8 Business..................10
Events......................18 Sports.....................20
See HOOVER MET | page 26
Community............22
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