The City of San Diego granted a special permit Wednesday for the 61st Over The Line tournament later this month and promised to defend the event in the case of a legal challenge.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer, City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman and other city leaders joined the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club in the announcement on Fiesta Island, where the tournament will be held on the weekends of July 12-13 and July 19-20.
“For the past six decades, Over The Line has become part of the fabric of San Diego. This announcement means thousands of San Diegans and visitors from across the world will be playing Over The Line on the sands of Fiesta Island just like they have since 1954,” Faulconer said.
The event was the target of a lawsuit last year that nearly resulted in its cancellation. The threat of litigation loomed over this year’s event as well. The special permit allows participants to bring alcoholic beverages as in the past, but no glass containers are allowed.
OTL is a modified form of beach softball. Teams with humorous, sometimes provocative names, travel from around the world to compete in the San Diego event.
“Over The Line is a San Diego tradition that the city welcomes. There was no legal basis for last year’s lawsuit seeking to cancel OTL and we are prepared to defend the city’s permission for the event, again, if necessary,” Goldsmith said.
Jeff Johnson of Old Mission Beach Athletic Club praised the city for its help preserving the tournament.
“On behalf of the 440 members of the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club and the 1,200 Over The Line teams and fans, I would like to thank Mayor Faulconer, City Attorney Goldsmith, Chief Zimmerman, our city council and the citizens of San Diego for all of their support in the past, present and future,” Johnson said. “OMBAC is grateful that a fair and reasonable solution was found to preserve the 61-year tradition that Over The Line is to the citizens of San Diego.”
