FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 16, 2026
Contact: Lance Kettering, Executive Director
Email: lkettering@springfieldmo.org
417-881-5300 ext. 106
SPRINGFIELD, MO—The “March to Springfield” tips off this week as teams from across the country compete in the National Christian HomeSchool Basketball Championship, with games scheduled March 16–20 throughout the Springfield area. This year’s championship marks the largest tournament in the event’s 34-year history, featuring 414 teams, with approximately 95% traveling from outside Springfield. Programs representing 19 different states — including Hawaii — will compete
across 23 gym floors, resulting in more than 1,100 games played across the Greater Springfield region, including sites in Ozark. The week-long championship, which is projected to generate more than $5 million in direct economic spending for the community. The event’s continued growth and impact have already secured its return to Springfield March 15–19, 2027.
Fans and participants will also have the opportunity to experience one of the championship’s premier showcase events on Monday evening, when the NCHBC Slam Dunk and 3-Point Finals take place at 7:00 p.m. at the O’Reilly Family Event Center at Drury University. The competition will follow Memphis MHEA’s varsity boys team — the five-time defending national champions — as they take the court for their 5:30 p.m. matchup. With thousands of athletes, coaches, and families converging on the region, the championship continues to elevate Springfield’s national reputation as a destination capable of hosting large-scale sporting events while delivering meaningful economic and community impact.
To learn more about the event visit https://www.nchclive.com/
About Visit Springfield, Missouri, and the Springfield Sports Commission
Visit Springfield, Missouri, is the official destination marketing organization for Greene, Christian, and Polk counties in southwest Missouri. Dedicated to boosting the local economy, the bureau drives tourism and group business – bringing leisure travelers, conventions, meetings, and sporting events – through innovative marketing initiatives.
Managed under Visit Springfield, the Springfield Sports Commission seeks to enhance the quality of life and stimulate positive economic growth for the greater Springfield community by promoting and developing the area as a venue for quality amateur, collegiate and professional sporting events.
For more information on the Sports Commission, visit springfieldmosports.org