1555 palm beach lakes blvd., suite 930 • west palm beach, fl...

1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 930 • West Palm Beach, FL 33401 • 561.233.3180 • 561.233.3125

Game On!October 2014

(Continued on Page 2)

In this Issue• Sports is a Major Contributor to

Palm Beach County Tourism• Chris Evert/Raymond James

Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic • US Men’s National Soccer Team

to Play at FAU Stadium• FL Powerlifting Collegiate

Championships Lift Off

Board of Directors

Sports is a Major Contributor to Palm Beach County TourismPalm Beach County experienced a banner year for sports tourism. At the close of the fiscal year, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission hosted or supported 128 different sporting events, which generated 180,000 sports related room nights. Both the 128 sports events and the 180,000 room nights represent the largest output reported by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, since its inception. The total economic impact from the sports events industry is estimated to be over $264 million in Palm Beach County.

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission (PBCSC) is a private not-for-profit organization, contracted by Palm Beach County, to promote and market the county as a sports tourism destination. The PBCSC receives a portion of bed tax collections, which are put in marketing and event development efforts that bring state, regional, national, and international sporting events to the County. The number of sports related room nights for FY 13-14 produced an estimated $32 million in hotel revenue. In turn, PBCSC supported over $24 of hotel revenue for every $1 it invested into sports tourism.

What were the contributing factors for this paramount year in sports tourism? The vast amount of golf courses, equestrian facilities, premier tennis venues, baseball facilities, aquatic complexes and an array of versatile venues are key components that make Palm

Beach County the ideal sports destination. Palm Beach County is home to a diversified collection of sports facilities, including Roger Dean Stadium, the Delray Beach Tennis Center, Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, Palm Beach International Raceway, National Croquet Center, Palm Beach County Convention Center, and Palm Beach Skate Zone. Palm Beach County is also home to 8,000 acres of county parks and recreation facilities offering an array of multipurpose fields and gymnasiums, more than 160 golf courses, and 47 miles of beautiful beaches.

Some of the nation’s largest participatory sporting events called

Palm Beach County home this past year. The PBCSC partnered with USA Field Hockey

to host the National Hockey Festival at the International Polo Club in Wellington over Thanksgiving weekend. The National Hockey Festival is the world’s largest field hockey tournament and one of the largest amateur sporting events that takes place annually in the United States. USA Field Hockey invited 260 teams, consisting of more than 4,400 athletes and 9,000 total visitors from the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Caribbean. The event featured primarily high school and college aged women. The Festival created an enormous tourism impact, generating over $9 million of visitor spending and 12,830 room nights.

Guy Quattlebaum - PresidentPamela Linden - Vice PresidentStephanie Lanza - Treasurer

Jack DanielsNick DavidsonWilliam DavisJohn DeMottPatty DentMichelle JaminetMalachi KnowlesJason MyersSteve PolitzinerMargie WaldenJeff Zipper

Ex-Officio DirectorsMike Bauer Roger Dean StadiumRalph Jimenez Original ImpressionsKen Kennerly IGP Sports & Entertainment GroupMichelle McGann Ladies Professional Golf AssociationJason RittenberryIRG Sports & EntertainmentHoward Schnellenberger Florida Atlantic UniversityJohn Smith Duffy’s Sports GrillCarolyn Stone Palm Beach Atlantic UniversityJoe Ceravolo - EmeritusDr. Ed Eissey - Emeritus


Sports A Major Contributor (Continued)

The world of golf dramatically impacted Palm Beach County once again. The Professional Golf Association’s (PGA) Honda Classic returned for the 12th straight year and the PGA Champions Tour’s Allianz Championship returned for the eighth straight year. Televised nationally in more than 3 million households, the Honda Classic attracted more than 193,000 spectators. The 2014 edition was the largest turnout in the event’s history. The nation’s most celebrated amateur golf tournaments, including the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships, the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Polo Junior Golf Classic, and the Florida Senior Open Championships, took place in Palm Beach County.

The tennis world made a splash in Palm Beach County. The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) hosted both an ATP World Tour and Champions Tour event simultaneously during the Delray Beach Open. Both events were seen around

the world and showcased many tennis professionals. In addition to the ATP events, the PBCSC supported twelve (12) amateur tennis events, including the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Seniors World Championships. The ITF Senior World Championships is one of the largest amateur tennis tournaments on the globe. The event featured approximately 1,600 athletes from more than 30 different countries competing in both team and individual competitions over a two-week stretch in May. Over 2,300 tennis matches took place on 110 courts, which were located countywide. The event generated over 5,400 room nights.

The PBCSC allocated considerable resources to establish Palm Beach County as a leading destination for amateur baseball in the state of Florida. In addition to increasing its marketing campaign to attract baseball tournaments, the Sports Commission has forged excellent partnerships with Roger Dean Stadium, Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation, and various municipalities to create a mecca for amateur baseball. The PBCSC supported 21 amateur baseball tournaments, which generated over 19,500 room nights and $10.5 million in direct visitor spending.

Softball was also a “home run” for tourism. The PBCSC supported 9 softball tournaments, which attracted thousands of visitors. Organizations such as USSSA have adopted Palm Beach County as a host for major state and regional tournaments. In addition to girl’s fastpitch, the PBCSC partnered with the Florida

Half Century Amateur Softball Association to host men’s slow pitch state tournament, which featured over 900 senior players. Palm Beach County has become a hotbed for soccer. The US Soccer Federation selected FAU Stadium as a site to host the US Women’s National Team as they competed against Russia. Palm Beach County was also home to the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYA) Olympic Development Program (ODP) Girls Interregional Championship. Top soccer players in the nation formed regional teams and showcased their skills. Many of these girls will be asked to represent the United States during future Olympic Games. The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) hosted its state championships in Wellington and the Palm Beach Cup, a Florida Youth Soccer Association (FYSA)sanctioned tournament, occupied several fields in Palm Beach Gardens. Combined, these youth tournaments feature more than 200 soccer teams.

Lacrosse is the fastest growing participatory sport in the state and the PBCSC is making a concentrated effort to take advantage of the sport’s popularity to enhance tourism. The Sports Commission supported eight (8) national amateur lacrosse tournaments, which attracted thousands of boys and girls players from across the nation. Major League Lacrosse presented Palm Beach County with its first major professional sports franchise. The Florida Launch played 7 home games at FAU Stadium with 3 broadcast on national television.

Several major multi-sports events created a significant boost in tourism. Palm Beach County was home to the Florida Firefighter Games and the First Responder Games. Both of these events were Olympic-style competitions dedicated exclusively for firefighters, police, military, federal agents, and emergency medical personnel. Over 3,000 competitors from across the state and nation traveled to compete in more than 30 different sports. The JCC Maccabi Games, which is the largest organized sports program for Jewish tens in the world, took place in Boca Raton and Delray Beach. Over 1,300 youth participated in 9 different sports events. Families traveled from across the globe and generated a huge economic impact during the month of August.

The PBCSC continues to strive for excellence and is always looking toward the future. The upcoming year will bring an abundance of new sports events. Palm Beach County will be home to its first college football bowl game while hosting two collegiate soccer national championships. Both the NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championships and the NCAA Women’s College Cup will take place in the county. These are a sample of many events that will classify Palm Beach County as an elite sports destination in fiscal year 2015.


Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic Returns

For the past 25 years, Chris Evert has made a difference in the lives of many South Floridians who have battled drug use, and in the lives of their children who

suffer the subsequent abuses brought on by addiction. Aiming to build on the $21 million that has been raised since 1989, the silver anniversary Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic is coming up November 21-23 at the Boca Raton Resort & Club and the Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center.

A group of celebrities have already lined up to assist Evert in making the 2014 event a memorable one. From the TV news and talk show world will come NBC Today Show’s Hoda Kotb, Gayle King of CBS This Morning, Brian Kilmeade of Fox News and Rob Marciano of ABC’s Good Morning America Weekend. Also playing in the event: comedians Jon Lovitz and Dennis Miller; actors Timothy Olyphant, Kevin McKidd, Alan Thicke and Maeve Quinlan; and musicians Gavin Rossdale and David Cooke. Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, will also be at the event along with an A-list of tennis players, including headliners Evert and Martina Navratilova.

The 2014 event will include a Tennis Pro-Am and Classic Cocktail Reception at the Boca Raton Resort & Club (Friday, Nov. 21), followed by Pro-Celebrity Tennis sessions at the Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center (Saturday & Sunday, Nov. 22 & 23). The annual Charity Gala presented by Esurance, an elegant evening of dinner and dancing that includes live and silent auctions, is scheduled for Saturday evening (Nov. 22) at the Boca Raton Resort & Club.

Premium seating for the Pro-Celebrity tennis event range in price from $40 to $90. Club seats with seat backs are $40 per day or $70 for the weekend and courtside box seats (rows 1-8) are $90 per day or $175 for the weekend. General admission tickets are $20 per session, while the Charity Gala is $750. To purchase tickets, call Chris Evert Charities at 561-394-2400, or visit the website at www.chrisevert.org.

US Men’s National Soccer Team To Play At FAU Stadium

The “World Cup” spirit is coming to Palm Beach County! The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is partnering with the U.S. Soccer Federation to host the United States Men’s

National Team as they compete against Honduras at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton on October 14th at

8pm. The match will be televised live on ESPN and UniMas. This game will represent the US Men’s National Team’s inaugural visit to Palm Beach County.

The popularity of the US Men’s National Team is enormous following its dramatic journey during the 2014 World Cup. Led by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, the US Men’s National Team thrilled the nation as it advanced with a second place finish out of the Round of 16, behind the World Cup Champion, Germany. In the second round of the World Cup, the United States faced Belgium in an epic battle, eventually falling in overtime, 2-1.

The US Men’s National Team is currently ranked # 18 in the FIFA world rankings as it prepares for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, featuring teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The Honduras National Team has qualified for the last two FIFA World Cup tournaments (South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014. Honduras is currently the fourth-highest ranked team from the CONCACAF region. The United States holds a 14-4-3 lifetime record against Honduras. The game falls on one of the FIFA international fixture dates, making all players available for selection by U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

“Honduras has proved that they are one of the top teams in CONCACAF,” said Klinsmann. “As we begin our preparation for the Gold Cup, this is a great opportunity for our players to see the type of opponent they will face next summer. We continue to find huge support around the country, so it’s exciting to bring the Men’s National Team to a place it’s never played before. We are looking forward to a great crowd at FAU Stadium.”

Since 2005, the U.S. Men’s National Team has only played in South Florida once. Over the same period, the team has only played in the entire state six other times: twice in Jacksonville (most recently this past June in front of 52,033 in the final Send-Off Series game before heading to the FIFA World Cup in Brazil) and four times in Tampa.

Tickets are available through ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout South Florida and at the Wally Sanger Owl Club Center ticket office on the Florida Atlantic University campus.

w w w. Pa l m B e a c h S p o r t s . c o m1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 930 • West Palm Beach, FL 33401 • 561.233.3180 • 561.233.3125

1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 930West Palm Beach, FL 33401

Tel: (561) 233-3180 Fax: (561) 233-3125

Corporate Partners

USA Powerlifting will host its 11th annual Florida Powerlifting Collegiate Championships at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Arena in Boca Raton on Saturday, October 18th and Sunday, October 19th. The event attracts approximately 80 male and female lifters competing for championships in bench press, deadlift, and push/pull. Highly touted collegiate powerlifting programs will participate, including the University of Florida, Florida State U n i v e r s i t y , University of South Florida, Florida Gulf Coast University, and Palm Beach County’s own Florida Atlantic University.

The Florida Powerlifting Collegiate Championships features a variety of weight classes. Women compete in weight classes that range from 97lbs up to 198+ lbs. Men compete in weight classes that range from 114lbs up to 275lbs in addition to a super heavy

weight division. Each competitor is allowed three attempts at each lift (bench press, deadlift, and push/pull). The lifter with the highest total is the winner.

USA Powerlifting is the national governing body for the sport and is a member of the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF), the governing body

of powerlifting internationally, which is comprised of member federations from eighty-three countries on six continents.

Don’t miss some of the strongest collegiate athletes competing in Palm Beach County this weekend. The Florida Powerlifting Collegiate Championships begin at 7am and finishes at approximately 3:30pm each day at the FAU arena.

Florida Powerlifting Collegiate Championships Lifts Off in Boca Raton

1555 palm beach lakes blvd., suite 930 • west palm beach, fl...

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