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

(Continued on Page 2)

Game On!May 2014

In this Issue• Summer Means The Return of

America’s Favorite Pastime• Florida Launch Begins Inaugural

Season In Palm Beach County• Palm Beach Cup Kicks Off• Okeeheelee BMX Hosts

Statewide Tournament• Palm Beach County Is Home to

International Tennis

Board of Directors

Summer Means the Return of America’s National PastimePalm Beach County is a nucleus for baseball, America’s national pastime. More than 400 teams involving over 7,000 athletes will compete in 12 major baseball tournaments on a national, regional or state level this summer. In Palm Beach County the players, coaches and participants will occupy an estimated 9,400 hotel room nights and generate over $4 million of economic impact for the local community. Due to the outstanding baseball facilities, the tropical climate and a strong resume of prestigious baseball events, Palm Beach County has a competitive advantage when it comes to attracting and hosting baseball events. The summer of 2014 will bring excitement due to the world of amateur baseball, both on the field of play and off the field for the local economy.

Few communities have baseball venues such as Palm Beach County. Roger Dean Stadium, located in Jupiter, is home to the Miami Marlins and the National League Champion, St. Louis Cardinals, during the Major League Baseball (MLB) spring training season. Roger Dean Stadium is one of the premier spring training baseball complexes in Florida, consisting of a 7,000 seat stadium and 12 ancillary fields, which makes it capable of hosting the nation’s largest tournaments. Palm Beach County is also home to the Santaluces Athletic Complex, the former spring training facility for the Montreal Expos. Located in Lantana, this complex maintains a quad of major league baseball size fields.

Guy Quattlebaum - PresidentPamela Linden - Vice PresidentStephanie Lanza - Treasurer

Jack DanielsNick DavidsonWilliam DavisJohn DeMottPatty DentDr. Ed EisseyMichelle 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 University


Palm Beach County will be home to the most admired amateur baseball tournaments in the United States. USA Baseball will host two of its largest events at Roger Dean Stadium and the Santaluces Athletic Complex. Over 110 teams consisting of more

than 2,000 athletes from across the nation are expected to contend for championships in the 14U, 15U, and 17U age groups. This event serves as the East National Team Championship, which takes place simultaneously with USA Baseball’s West National Team Championship in Arizona. USA Baseball will conduct its National Team Championships over two weeks. The 14u and 17u tournaments will take place on June 17-25, while the 15u tournament is slated for July 11-19. More than 350 baseball games will take place during the two-week stretch. The events will generate over 5,400 room nights and 2 million in economic impact. This summer represents the first time that USA Baseball has hosted the National Team Championships for all of its age groups in Palm Beach County. USA Baseball is the national governing body for its sport, presiding over 12 million amateur players annually. USA Baseball scouts, recruits, and select players that compete in these tournaments to participate on its national teams, which will represent the United States during international competition.

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission partnered with Team One Baseball to bring four of its eight Under Armour Team One National Tournaments to Palm Beach County. Roger Dean Stadium will host the Under Armour Memorial Day Classic on May 23-26, the Under Armour Southeast Regional on June 6-10, the Under Armour Firecracker Classic on June 30-July 4, and the Under Armour September Classic on September 19-21. Three of the national events are wood composite bat tournaments, attracting high-level 18 & under and 16 & under travel teams from across the country. The September tournament is a competitive 14 & under and 16 & under tournament featuring teams from across the United States. Following this talent is a substantial number of MLB and collegiate baseball scouts. These tournaments will attract an estimated 165 local and traveling teams, creating over 2,000 room nights and more than $1 million of economic impact for Palm Beach County.

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is partnering with the Police Athletic League (PAL) to host the Back to School Bash on July 24-28 at the Santaluces Athletic Complex, and Florida Atlantic

America’s Favorite Pastime (Continued from page 1)

University. The event will attract 40 teams and 600 athletes from across the state. Proceeds benefit the Palm Beach County Police Athletic League, while offering top-notch competition with college and professional scouts and recruiters.

Cal Ripken Baseball will host 3 tournaments at Gardens Park in Palm Beach Gardens during the summer of 2014. The tournaments include the Cal Ripken Baseball Rookie State Championship on July 3-6, the Cal Ripken Baseball 12U State Tournament on July 10-13, and the Cal Ripken Baseball 10U Southeast Regional Championship on July 24-27. These tournaments will feature youth players from 7 to 12 years of age and attract over 80 teams and more than 1,200 youth athletes. Cal Ripken Baseball will create over 1,300 room nights and $650,000 in economic impact. Cal Ripken Baseball is one of the most prestigious brands in amateur baseball for little leaguers and hosts hundreds of tournaments and camps annually, including the Cal Ripken Baseball World Series in Aberdeen, Maryland. Gardens Park is one of the premier youth baseball complexes in Palm Beach County. The facility maintains 8 lighted youth fields and 7 batting cages.

Whether it is wood bats or metal bats, highly talented travel teams or little leaguers just learning to play the game, baseball fields across Palm Beach County will be active this summer. America’s pastime will have a presence that is not easily replicated anywhere else throughout the United States. These baseball events promote Palm Beach County as an elite youth baseball destination and are significant contributors to the sports tourism industry.

Below is a summary of the impact generated by amateur baseball this summer:• 12 amateur baseball tournaments with state, regional, or national impact• 5 sport organizations or governing bodies: Team One Baseball, Coast to Coast Baseball, Cal Ripken Baseball, Police Athletic League, and USA Baseball• Estimating 7,172 athletes (traveling and local)• Projecting over $4 million of economic impact derived from these tournaments• Projecting 9,420 room nights • Projecting more than 1,000 baseball games• Age groups from 8U to 18U


Over 100 Teams Competing in Statewide Soccer Tournament

Major League Lacrosse Begins Inaugural Season in Palm Beach County

Major League Lacrosse (MLL) presented Palm Beach County with its first major professional sports team with the debut of the Florida Launch on April 26, 2014. The Florida Launch kicked off its inaugural season with a great display of effort in its first game against the Denver Outlaws. Although the Launch were defeated by a score of 14-10,

the Launch kicked off the season with an impressive performance against a team who hasn’t lost in over 20 games Over 3,000 people witnesses history with the unveiling of a MLL franchise for Palm Beach County.

Playing seven home games (potentially eight, with playoffs) at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, the Launch will provide Florida Atlantic University with a major tenant and Palm Beach County with significant media exposure, room nights, and economic impact throughout the early summer.

The Major League Lacrosse season consists of 56 regular season games running from April to August. The season also includes the Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft, MLL All-Star Weekend, and the MLL Championship Weekend.

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission was recognized during pre-game ceremonies and halftime for its instrumental role in bringing Major League Lacrosse to Palm Beach County. Sports Commission President, Guy Quattlebaum and Executive Director, George Linley participated during the honorary faceoff.

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission partnered with Major League Lacrosse to bring the MLL All-Star game to FAU Stadium and Boca Raton in June 2012. The MLL All-Star game was the first event in League history to take place in Florida. The Palm Beach County Sports Commission rallied the local lacrosse community to attract more than 8,000 spectators to the All-Star Game. By bringing the MLL All-Star Game to Palm Beach County and hosting a successful event, MLL awarded Palm Beach County with a franchise.

The Palm Beach Cup, hosted by the Palm Beach Soccer Academy and sanctioned by the Florida Youth Soccer Association, is one of the largest soccer tournaments in the state dedicated to both boys and girls. The tournament will attract over 100 soccer teams competing in a wide array of age groups, ranging from 8u to 18u, on May 9-11, 2014. Over 200 soccer

games will be played in Palm Beach Gardens and West Palm Beach with venues including Northwood University, Mirasol Park, PGA Park, Gardens Park, and Lilac Park.

This will be the seventh year of the Palm Beach Cup’s existence with the event growing tremendously, creating a statewide and regional impact. The demand for this tournament is high as teams were placed on a lengthy waiting list. The Palm Beach Cup will generate an influx of business to hotels, restaurants, attractions, and shopping outlets. “Our tournaments continue to grow each year, providing participants and spectators alike a wonderful opportunity to witness the power of kids playing this beautiful game”, says Gary Walker, founder of the Palm Beach Soccer Academy, a non-profit organization. For more information of the tournament and or to view the event schedule, visit www.palmbeachcup.com

Okeeheelee BMX Track Hosts Major Statewide Event

The Sunshine State BMX Association (SSA) will bring its Florida Cup Series to Palm Beach County on May 2-4. The SSA will host one of its five Cup Series events, which serves as qualifiers for the Florida Cup Championship, at the Okeeheelee

BMX track. This event will attract more than 600 male and female competitors from across the State in various age divisions as they battle to qualify for the Florida Cup Championship race held in Sarasota on May 16-18. Both pro and amateur riders are eligible to compete. Florida’s 800 registered riders are more than any other state in the nation, making the Florida Cup Series home to some of the largest turnouts created for BMX events. The Okeeheelee BMX Track was recently ranked as the top track in Florida and the east coast of the United States, ensuring to be a home for marquee BMX events on a state, regional, and national level.

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

Delray Beach is a hotbed for tennis. On May 3-10, 2014, the Delray Beach ITF will

take place at the Delray Beach Tennis Center and the Delray Swim & Tennis Club. The main singles draw consists of 64 boys and 64 girls, while a separate qualifying draw hosts another 64 boys and 64 girls. These 256 players will represent 36 different nations. The Delray Beach ITF will create a major boost to Palm Beach County’s economy. The international athletes and their families will generate a surge of hotel revenue and visitor spending for the

local economy. For more information on the Delray Beach ITF, visit www.yellowtennisball.com.

This is the second tennis tournament sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation to take place in Palm Beach County during the month of May. The ITF Seniors Worlds Championships is a two-week event that began on April 21 and will conclude on May 4. This event attracted 1,600 athletes from 38 different countries competing for team and individual titles in the 35, 45, and 55 age groups. Over 100 tennis courts were secured throughout Palm Beach County to accommodate over 2,000 tennis matches.

Palm Beach County is Home to International Tennis

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

Documents