Brownwood News – (by Mike Blagg) At a joint meeting of the Brownwood City Council and the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce, City of Brownwood Sports Coordinator Roland Soto presented a report on sports tourism in Brownwood in 2019. Among the highlights from 2019:
*** Brownwood hosted 17 softball and baseball tournaments, and one soccer tournament
*** The Harlem Globetrotters played at the Coliseum with over 2300 in attendance
*** Brownwood hosted three High School basketball playoff games in the Coliseum, a direct result of the marketing from the TexasBank Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament.
*** Brownwood had an estimated 28,214 sports tourism visitors to City of Brownwood venues and facilities.
*** Sports events at City of Brownwood facilities accounted for 3,836 hotel room nights, up from 2,041 in 2018
*** The estimated economic impact from sports tourism in Brownwood in 2019 was $1.4 million, up from $863 thousand in 2018
*** The hotel room nights are expected to exceed 4,000, and the economic impact is expected to exceed $1.7 million by the end of the year with the upcoming TexasBank Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament.
Soto said the keys to sports marketing success in 2019 included: working with local sports league associations, local hotel involvement, event specific marketing, social media presence, excellent facility conditions, and hospitality.
Upcoming events include:
*** The 2019 TexasBank Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament. This year’s tournament will have 30 teams, the largest field in the 50+ year history of the tournament. The games will be played at the Coliseum, and in both gyms at Brownwood High School. The tournament will take place December 26-27-28. A tournament pass for all games, all three days, can be purchased for only $15.
*** We already have 13 softball and baseball tournaments scheduled for 2020
*** There will possibly be a summer 2020 tennis tournament, similar to the Mason Dr. Pepper Open, discussion are ongoing.
