JACKSONVILLE, Ill. (WGEM) – After a tornado flattened the popular Future Champions Sports Complex, over 300 residents helped with the cleanup.

On Wednesday, a tornado flattened the popular Future Champions Sports Complex in Jacksonville, and the community showed up to help clean it up.

“We said, ‘ok let’s meet at 1:00 p.m.’ This was yesterday, and I think we had over 300 people that showed which was wonderful,” said complex owner Kristin Jamison.

Over 300 people showed up to tear off the fencing, remove debris, and pick up the insulation that had poured onto the field after the practice facility across the street was torn in half by the tornado.

“The community really rallies around children and keeping sports alive,” said volunteer Brandon Reed.

The Jamison family was scheduled to host their Beat the Turf baseball and softball tournament this weekend. Despite the damage, the family will still host the tournament although the games will be played at fields across Jacksonville.

“It would have been easy to just say, ‘guys, we had a tornado, we’re not going to play this weekend,’ but when you had 50 teams that were planning to come here you feel an obligation to those teams,” Jamison said.

The Jamison’s said the the complex’s restaurant across the street from the fields will remain open.

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