Players aged 10 to 14 from Louisiana, across the U.S. and as far away as Finland converged on the Northshore Friday as the 2026 Biddy Boys Youth Basketball World Tournament tipped off, a five-day event hosted by the Madisonville Youth Boosters. Games are spread across multiple local gyms and courts, and organizers say the festival will swell the parish with visiting families and players. Volunteers and staff are gearing up hospitality operations, and local gyms from Coquille to Archbishop Hannan are set for wall-to-wall games through the weekend. The tournament promises packed stands, skills contests and an opening ceremony that organizers say will be a standout moment for Northshore youth sports fans, according to Playeasy.
As listed on Playeasy, the tournament runs Friday through Tuesday and identifies Coquille Sports Complex in Covington as the primary site. The listing shows multiple age brackets and game blocks across the complex's indoor courts, along with participant and spectator counts that point to a major local draw. Fans should expect a full slate of games each day, starting in the morning and rolling into the evening.
According to Coquille Parks & Recreation board minutes, the district is preparing to host roughly 60 teams at the Coquille complex and has 10U through 14U brackets on the schedule, with volunteers and an athletic trainer lined up for the event. The minutes note Madisonville Youth Boosters logged extensive volunteer hours and planned for three to four deputies on-site to manage crowds and schedules. Those documents highlight months of local planning for one of the spring's biggest youth-sports events.
Biddy Basketball International, the organization that sanctions the World Tournament, has staged international youth championships for decades, and its site outlines the rules and bracket structure used at these events, according to Biddy Basketball. That national framework helps draw a mix of local clubs and out-of-state and occasionally overseas teams to the Northshore. Organizers say that structure is what attracted a small contingent from Finland to this year's field.
What It Means For The Northshore
A social post from Visit The Northshore says the tournament could draw as many as 5,000 visitors to St. Tammany Parish over the five-day run and notes teams from Louisiana, other parts of the U.S. and Finland will compete. According to Visit The Northshore, Madisonville Youth Boosters are partnering with Biddy Basketball to host the competition. Parish tourism materials and event listings also stress that youth tournaments reliably boost shoulder-season hotel and restaurant revenue for the Northshore.
Getting There And Watching
Spectators should plan for heavy traffic and limited parking at peak game times. The Coquille board minutes note organizers have arranged for an athletic trainer, deputies and volunteer staffing to keep events running smoothly, according to Coquille Parks & Recreation. Fans can find brackets, game times and gym assignments on the tournament event page and on Biddy Basketball's calendar prior to tipoff, and organizers are directing people to those pages for last-minute updates. Local volunteers will staff concessions and score tables, so expect quick turnarounds between games and tight seating during evening sessions.
