The Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA) today announced the booking of the largest single-week youth sporting event ever held in the Triangle, based on total hotel room nights. The United States Basketball Association Boys National Championship will be held at the Raleigh Convention Center in July 2019, 2020 and 2021. The event will see more than 15,000 attendees from around the world converge on Raleigh each summer and is expected to generate more than 19,000 hotel rooms and $11M in direct visitor spending each year.
The USBA event will feature 450 teams – in grades 2nd-12th – competing over five days each year. That accounts for approximately 5,100 athletes and coaches and their families. The 2018 Championships, held in Charlotte, saw teams from 38 states, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Dubai compete.
“Three other markets were being considered for the USBA Nationals with Raleigh being selected in the end for its diligent follow-up and comprehensive considerations of USBA needs,” said Dan Wollman of World Events Sports Properties, which provides the courts & other event services for the tournament in conjunction with USBA. “The USBA destination is for most of our players a family vacation with parents and siblings attending the event. In the end we’re delighted for them to experience all that Raleigh, N.C. has to offer as a family-friendly destination.”
USBA Boys National Championships by the Numbers:
450 teams
5,100 total athletes/coaches
15,725 total visitors estimated each year (including family and friends)
19,650 total hotel room nights annually
$11.1 million in estimated direct visitor spending to be generated within Wake County annually
“The GRSA is thrilled to bring the USBA Boys National Championship to Raleigh,” said Scott Dupree, GRSA Executive Director. “Not only is this a first-class and prestigious event, it is a massive one, with an economic impact that will be felt throughout Wake County. The arrival of USBA further strengthens Greater Raleigh’s national reputation as a premier destination for youth sports.”
The dates for the three years the tournament will be held at the Raleigh Convention Center are:
July 16-20, 2019
July 14-18, 2020
July 13-17, 2021
“We are delighted that USBA has selected the Raleigh Convention Center (RCC),” Dupree said. “And that’s a tribute to the RCC and its track record of hosting large, successful sporting events over the years.”
About United States Basketball Association (USBA): Based in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. the United States Basketball Association (USBA) was founded in 2005 by Mark Thompson a former asst. basketball coach at Tennessee. USBA is a basketball only organization whose staff includes former players, coaches, and administrative professionals who share a commitment to broadening opportunities for boys and girls who are interested in the game of basketball. USBA offers top quality tournaments, camps, and clinics nearly year-round. The association’s mission is to see that young men and women, in grades 2nd-12th, get a chance to play basketball in a highly competitive, rewarding, and positive environment. usbahoops.com
About the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA): A division of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh) - the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA) markets and promotes Raleigh and all of Wake County in order to generate and/or retain sports-related businesses (tournaments, championships, special events and meetings) for the purpose of economic development. Raleigh, N.C./Wake County welcomes more than 16 million visitors annually whose spending tops $2.5 billion. The visitor economy supports more than 26,170 local jobs in Wake County and generates more than $250 million in state and local tax revenues, saving each Wake County household $671 in taxes annually. raleighsports.org
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