News Hospitality Sports continue pumping economic impact in West Mich.
Sports continue pumping economic impact in West Mich.
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By Chad D. Lerch | M&C
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GRAND RAPIDS — West Michigan is capturing its share of the $6 billion national youth and amateur sports tourism bounty, with thousands of gifted athletes converging on the region for competitions.
ESPN or Fox Sports might not be following their every move, but behind every youth or amateur athlete is a traveling posse with cash to spend — pumping millions into local hotels, restaurants, shops and attractions every time they come to town.
And behind every event is the West Michigan Sports Commission, a nonprofit advocacy group that markets Kent County and West Michigan as a destination for events like the Meijer State Games of Michigan.
Officials say direct spending by visitors tied to the youth and amateur sports industry totaled $80 million in West Michigan in the past five years. The West Michigan Sports Commission attracts up to 60 events annually.
The Meijer State Games of Michigan, held in the greater Grand Rapids area over a four-day period in June, had a direct economic impact of more than $1 million, said Mike Guswiler, executive director of the West Michigan Sports Commission.
The Olympic-style, multi-sport festival featured more than 4,000 athletes representing nearly every county in the state. The 24-sport event brought friends, families, referees, support staff and others to the area. “The local economic impact of events like the Meijer State Games of Michigan is growing each year,” Guswiler said. “We’re not bringing in events that are huge spectator draws, a lot of the events may fly under the radar, but the economic impact is impressive.”
Last year, Grand Rapids hosted the USA Table Tennis U.S. Open Championships, which featured 90 tables of smash mouth competition.
“At that level and with that many people competing, it was a lot of fun to watch,” Guswiler said. “The championship winner was from Hungary; she was quoted as saying it was the nicest (tournament) she has seen. And that says a lot when you get an international traveler saying that about your community.”
The West Michigan Sports Commission is a member of a national association of sports commissions. The national body formed in the 1990s with seven member cities, each striving to nurture youth and amateur sports while creating an economic benefit for those communities.
Today, there are more than 100 sports commissions nationwide. Guswiler said where there is not a sports commission, there is a visitor’s bureau or chamber of commerce promoting their communities as destinations for the sports tourism industry.
“For these young athletes to get the benefit of competing at a high level, they will travel sometimes hundreds of miles. To do that, you have to stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, and spend money on entertainment.”
The West Michigan Sports Commission is a public-private partnership in its fifth year of existence. It’s supported by the Kent County Commission, which committed $1 million over five years; Experience Grand Rapids, the local convention and visitors bureau; and local businesses. The organization receives in-kind office space from Experience Grand Rapids.
WMSC has a $500,000 annual operating budget. Members of the board of directors are an impressive list of accomplished community and business leaders — including Peter Secchia, Dan DeVos and Dick Vander Molen.
“These are the people who got this organization started. They saw a value in promoting West Michigan as a destination for youth and amateur sports,” Guswiler said.
“You also have to look at the benefits of sports, whether it’s through healthy living, staying active and the value parents see in sports, like how to handle loss and victory.” m&c
