Utz Arena to Host USA Team Handball Championships

The York County Convention & Visitors Bureau is proud to announce that York County, PA has been chosen to host the 2016 USA Team Handball National Championships happening May 12-16, 2016 at the York Expo Center's Utz Arena.

This event is the country's largest domestic team handball tournament, and together with the 2015 event (also in York), the 2016 Championships are slated to bring more than 1,500 athletes, spectators and coaches to the area, generating an estimated economic impact of $1,080,411 per year for York County.

"We chose to bring the USA Team Handball National Championships to York County, PA, because of the proximity to New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. - all major hubs for handball teams," said Matt Van Houten, Chief Executive Officer of USA Team Handball. "I anticipate that the 2015 and 2016 Championships will have our highest turnout ever for a USA National Championships."

In addition to championship play, the tournament is expected to incorporate referee and beach handball clinics and possibly handball demos for children, as well as clinics for gym teachers interested in incorporating the sport into their physical education curriculums.

Van Houten feels that York County offers many opportunities to grow and promote the sport of handball. He hopes to leave a "strong, positive legacy in the York area" by introducing the sport to children, establishing a local club team, and possibly getting handball included as an official sport in the Pennsylvania State Games.

In order to acquire this event, the York County CVB submitted a bid against several other cities as part of the Bureau's Sport York program. "Sport York" is dedicated branding campaign designed to recruit events and generate additional economic impact in York County. Sport York positions York County as "Pennsylvania's Premier Sports Destination," highlighting the area's dynamic facilities and central location on the East Coast.

USA Team Handball is the National Governing Body for the Olympic sport of Team Handball, which has been one of the most popular team sports in the Olympic Games since it was introduced to the program in 1972. Learn more about USA Team Handball by visiting www.usateamhandball.org.

The York County Convention & Visitors Bureau (York County CVB) is the Official Tourism Promotion Agency for York County. The Purpose of the York County CVB is to plan, support and promote programs designed to stimulate and encouraging significant tourism and expenditures through meetings, conventions, sporting events, and leisure activities, as well as partner with other tourism and economic development stakeholders to help develop and enhance the visitor experience. Visitors spend more than $850 million in York County annually. For more information on the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau, call 1-888-858-9675 or visit www.yorkpa.org.