AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB LAUNCHES THE AKC AGILITY LEAGUE

The American Kennel Club Launches the AKC AGILITY LEAGUE
Teams from around the country will compete locally to rank nationally

New York, NY- The American Kennel Club ® (AKC) is thrilled to announce the inaugural season of the AKC Agility League ®. The new pilot program allows teams from around the country to run locally and compete nationally.

AKC Agility League program has 19 groups, sponsoring 40 teams with 245 dogs, and representing nine regions of the country. They will compete at their local training facility by running courses designed by AKC Agility Field Representatives. All teams will run the same six courses and will be ranked by both team performance and individual performances. Courses will be designed at regular and preferred jump heights (teams can mix and match) and will be released bi-weekly on Mondays. The 12-week season begins today, May 30^th and rankings will be released bi-weekly.

“We are so excited to launch this fun, recreational program,” said Gina DiNardo, Executive Secretary of AKC. “This league gives exhibitors, clubs, and schools the opportunity to practice and compete on their home turf while sharing the experience with agility enthusiasts from around the country. Be sure to keep up with the teams from your region and cheer them on!”

The pilot program has a limited number of teams and will be expanded to more teams in the Fall of 2022.

Below are the Agility Groups that will compete in the inaugural season:

Alaska: Tanana Valley Kennel Club
New England : American K9 Country (NH), Talcott Mountain Agility Club (CT)
Mid-Atlantic: Pinelands Dog Training Center (NJ), Syracuse Obedience Training Club (NY)
Southeast: Durham Kennel Club (NC), WestRover Agility Club (AL)
North Central: All Fours Dog Training (IL), Des Moines Agility Friends (IA), One Smart Dog (Ohio)
South Central: Tyler Obedience Training Club (TX), Kate’s Place (OK)
Rocky Mountain: Versa Dog Sports (UT), Lookout Agility (CO)
Western: Half Moon Bay Dog Sports (CA), Antelope Valley Dog Agility (CA),
Agility Club of San Diego (CA), White Sands Agility Club (NM)
Hawaii Hawaiian Agility Handlers Association

Team and Individual winners will be announced at the end of the season in August.

To learn more about the AKC Agility League please visit www.akc.org and follow the AKC Agility League Facebook page.