Seven out of 19 conference tournaments have been held in Kingsport, Tenn., and John Sullivan, former president and current commissioner of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC), said there are three reasons why.
“First is the management and administration of Kingsport,” Sullivan said.
He applauded the Kingsport city government for its management and administration. “Kingsport does a phenomenal job for us,” he said.Sullivan said no other city he visited had the positive vibe that Kingsport had presented.
The second reason Sullivan gave for holding the athletic conference in Kingsport is its overall location.
“Even though Milligan College is a hop, skip and a jump from Kingsport,” Sullivan believes there is no home field or court advantage. Milligan usually brings the biggest crowds to the conference tournaments, but Sullivan said that he encourages all schools to bring fans to the conference tournaments.
Lastly, Sullivan said the the overall facilities in Kingsport are phenomenal. He mentioned that parking, hotels, restaurants and other services in Kingsport are easy to find and conveniently located.
“The MeadowView Marriott is aggressive and wants our business,” Sullivan said. “The volleyball and basketball teams compete in the MeadowView Marriott, and the players can just get out of bed and walk down to the gym.”
Sullivan said he would love to bring more conference tournaments, if not all conference tournaments, to Kingsport “as long as new complexes are built.”
Sullivan is encouraging the city of Kingsport to build a collegiate-like soccer complex for the their soccer conference tournaments. The city of Kingsport has seven conference tournaments currently, but the overall goal for the AAC is to bring all conference tournaments to Kingsport.
More conference tournaments are coming to Kingsport very soon. Starting at the end of 2017 and the early part of 2018, the AAC will sponsor wrestling for the first time and plans to hold the conference tournament at the MeadowView Marriott in Kingsport.
Sullivan said he and the city of Kingsport are happy about the future of the AAC and the