YOUTH/AMATEUR SPORTING EVENTS IN WEST MICHIGAN GENERATEDALL-TIME HIGH OF $90.5 MILLION IN DIRECT VISITOR SPENDING IN 2022
West Michigan’s youth and amateur sports industry has not only bounced back from pre-COVID times, it has left the last few years of pandemic-related uncertainty in its dust. The West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) reported today that 2022 was its strongest year ever…
IBC Youth 2022 Junior Gold Championships Honored as a 2022 Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism in Sports Destination Management
Sports Destination Management, the leading publication with the largest circulation of sports event planners and tournament directors in the sports tourism market, has announced the 2022 Champions of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism. This year’s winners are responsible for contributing a more-than-welcome boost of over $2.42 billion to the national economy over the past year.
MEIJER SPORTS COMPLEX WRAPS SUCCESSFUL 2022 BASEBALL/SOFTBALL SEASON WITH SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN DIRECT VISITOR SPENDING OVER 2021 AND 2019
The West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) closed a successful 2022 baseball/softball season at the Meijer Sports Complex, wrapping up with 21 tournaments between April and October that attracted 762 teams, 9,906 athletes and 24,765 spectators who booked 5,524 hotel room nights. Most significantly, the complex generated $8,066,671 in estimated direct visitor spending – up 44 percent from 2021 and 32 percent from pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
WEST MICHIGAN HOSTS USA-CANADA SENIOR BORDER BATTLE IN SLOW-PITCH SOFTBALL AUG. 5-7 AT MEIJER SPORTS COMPLEX
Canada is sending its best senior slow-pitch softball players to square off against the best U.S. teams in the USA-Canada Senior Border Battle in men’s slow pitch softball, Aug. 5-7 at the Meijer Sports Complex in Plainfield Township.
TOP YOUTH BOWLERS IN AMERICA COMPETE IN 2022 JUNIOR GOLD CHAMPIONSHIPS JULY 11-23 AT EIGHT VENUES ACROSS WEST AND CENTRAL MICHIGAN, A FIRST FOR THE REGION
Junior Gold Championships coming to West Michigan in July of 2022.
Work Still Needed to Even Playing Field in Sport
June is an important month in the history of sports. Fifty years ago, Title IX was passed – giving women and girls a chance to play sports on a more even playing field. Hopefully you’ve read our social media posts celebrating women in West Michigan whose lives have been positively impacted by Title IX – you can also read their stories in our recent blog post
WMSC 15TH ANNUAL LUNCHEON FEATURES MSU HEAD BASKETBALL COACH TOM IZZO
15th Annual Luncheon to feature Coach Tom Izzo & honor Peter F. Secchia.
MICHIGAN TECH HOSTING 57TH GREAT LAKES INVITATIONAL IN GRAND RAPIDS AT VAN ANDEL ARENA
NCAA DI college hockey invitational tournament held downtown at Van Andel Arena and hosted by Michigan Tech University.
50 Years of Title IX
During the 50th anniversary month of Title IX, we want to acknowledge and celebrate what Title IX means to women across West Michigan. We've invited some of our partners, community members, and staff to share their stories.
Spring Signals Strong Sports Season
Now that the fickle Michigan weather has officially flipped a switch from winter to summer (I guess we’re skipping spring?), thoughts turn to all-things sports – the crack of a bat, the kick of a soccer ball, the ping of a golf ball and the footfall of a runner. At the WMSC, sports are a 24/7/365 business – but we also feel the shift to a busier sports season as we prepare for a full lineup of outdoor sports.
THE BEER CITY OPEN RETURNS TO GRAND RAPIDS JULY 20 THROUGH JULY 24
The Grand Rapids Pickleball Club announces the return of the Grand Rapids Beer City Open Pickleball Championships, which will be held July 20 through July 24, 2022 at Belknap Park in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids.
WHY GRAND RAPIDS HAS A SHOT AT HOSTING MARCH MADNESS
As millions watch March Madness, my thoughts jump to another competition – the NCAA Championships bid process, with 90 championships across 24 sports in three divisions up for bid periodically. I am going to make a bold statement – Grand Rapids has a good shot at being selected to host a DI Men’s March Madness…
Olympics Show Sports Industry on the Rebound
Sports are part of the fabric of our lives, as the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics recently demonstrated. The Olympic and Paralympic Games also show the resiliency of sport, even in a global pandemic. Admittedly, athletes were subjected to restrictions and lockdowns like never before….
SPORTS TOURISM IN WEST MICHIGAN INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY IN 2021 FROM 2020, GENERATING $55.49 MILLION IN DIRECT VISITOR SPENDING
– If the West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) viewed the business of sports tourism in 2021 in terms of wins and losses, it would chalk up the year as a win for West Michigan.
Not surprisingly, the economic impact of sports tourism increased significantly in every metric over 2020 when the pandemic scratched many scheduled tournaments, but it also slightly surpassed some pre-pandemic figures…
Sports Lead Way Back to Recovery
We have an adage in our business – sports tourism is recession-proof. However, we learned last year that sports tourism is not pandemic-proof. Even with every precaution we could implement, nothing could prepare us for the sweeping shutdown of sporting events across America last year – from the Olympic Games to Little League games in our backyards.
Grand Rapids Area to Host 2022 Junior Gold Championships, Excitement Grows for 2021 Event
The Junior Gold Championships will return to Michigan in July 2022, with competition taking place across eight centers in the Grand Rapids area.
In addition to the Junior Gold Championships, the USA Bowling National Championships and Bowling.com Youth Open Championships also will be conducted in western Michigan in 2022.