The Park Board will again work with district, state, regional and national level organizations and governing bodies to host the events, including the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Springfield Sports Commission.
“The activities coming into Springfield and Greene County continue to have significant economic and quality of life impacts,” said Director of Parks Jodie Adams. In 2009, 20 major athletic events were calculated by the Park Board to have had a direct economic impact of more than $4 million. “These are families and tournament participants who are eating, lodging, shopping and recreating while in the area. Sporting events provide a big boost to the area’s businesses, along with tax dollars that come directly back to our local governments to fund essential services. We’ve also seen a direct return on investment with repeat or new tournaments when we invest in the maintenance and updates of our sports facilities.”
Adams points to collaborative efforts for the successes experienced with major sporting events over the past decade. “Without the support of the Springfield Sports Commission, the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, the local universities, local hotels, area businesses and more than 230 volunteer groups and organizations we work with annually, we wouldn’t see this level of sports-related activity coming into the area. It takes commitment and cooperation to successfully secure these events, which ultimately have shown tremendous economic gain for the community.”
