(MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 9, 2015) Sports Minneapolis, powered by Meet Minneapolis, announced today that USA Volleyball has chosen Minneapolis for two of its major events in 2017. The two events are expected to draw nearly 20,000 athletes and 25,000 spectators and coaches, creating an estimated $65 million impact in the area. That’s an impact even greater than last summer’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which had an estimated economic impact of $50 million.

The USA Volleyball 2017 Girls’ Junior National Championships will be held June 25 to July 4, 2017, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. With 1,300 teams and 13,500 athletes, the event is expected to fill 59,000 hotel room nights and have an estimated economic impact of $55 million, generating an estimated $2.5 million in local tax revenue. This event was last held in Minneapolis in the summer of 2014. For the event, the Minneapolis Convention Center will be transformed to hold 70 volleyball courts.

USA Volleyball will also hold its 2017 Open National Championships and Annual Meetings of the Corporation May 20 - 31, 2017, with an estimated 500 teams with 6,000 players and a $10 million economic impact. This event was last held in Minneapolis in 2009.

These events are also significant because of the times of year when they’ll be held. They occur over holiday periods (Memorial Day weekend and Fourth of July), which are traditionally more difficult times to attract event business to a destination.

“We’re thrilled to welcome the USA Volleyball events here in 2017,” said Sports Minneapolis Executive Director Scott M. Romane. “They’ve chosen to return after holding their 2014 Girls’ Junior National Championships here, with great success. These two events underscore what an impact amateur sports can have on our community and our economy.”

“Minneapolis is proven to be a great destination for our Championship events,” said USA Volleyball Managing Director Tom Pingel. “The city and venue is very experienced in meeting the needs of the event and its participants. Volleyball and Minneapolis are a great fit and we look forward to returning in 2017.”

SPORTS IS BIG BUSINESS

Sports Minneapolis, which was formed in 2014, is focused on recruiting, enhancing and producing sporting events in the Minneapolis area for the benefit of our community. In addition to generating significant estimated economic impact, amateur and professional sports events can help connect the community through sport, fostering health and wellness.

The sports tourism business in the U.S. drove almost $9 billion in visitor spending last year, and professional and amateur sporting events are a major driver of tourism in Minneapolis. In 2014, sports events in Minneapolis produced a larger number of future hotel room bookings than any other segment. Thirty-five percent of bookings were for sports events. The next highest was for corporate events at 26 percent.

Meet Minneapolis has long been part of recruiting sports events to come to the area. With the formation of Sports Minneapolis, powered by Meet Minneapolis, the city is putting an even stronger focus on the sports world and the benefit it brings to our community.

Minneapolis is on a winning streak in securing major sports events over the last several years, including the 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Super Bowl LII in 2018, and the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2019.

In its first year, Sports Minneapolis has helped secure or produce a range of major events.

Some highlights of upcoming events include:

2010-2019 USA Racquetball US OPEN Championships
2014-2018 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Faceoff
2014-2015 USA Swimming Grand Prix
2015 U.S. Paralympics Track and Field Championships and Gateway to Gold Program
2016 USA Swimming’s US Open / Speedo Junior Nationals
2016 Ryder Cup
2017 National Sports Forum
2017 USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships & 2017 Open National Championships and Annual Meeting of the Corporation
2018 World Masters Cross-Country Ski Association’s World Masters Cup
2018 NFL Super Bowl LII
2018 National Association of Sports Commissions Sports Event Symposium
2019 NCAA Men’s Final Four

Sports Minneapolis is also working on a number of major bids for events that we expect to hear from later this year. Highlights include:

2017 U.S. Masters Swimming Summer Nationals
2020 College Football Playoff National Championship Game

As Sports Minneapolis enters its next phase, and as these events come to life, there will be opportunities for the community to get even more engaged in these events. Organizations can partner as event sponsors, coordinate with Sports Minneapolis to host sports events here or help recruit volunteers needed to make the events a success.

ABOUT SPORTS MINNEAPOLIS

Sports Minneapolis, powered by Meet Minneapolis, works to recruit, enhance and produce sporting events in the Minneapolis area for the benefit of our community. We do this by partnering with event rights holders to assist them with venue selection, event services, volunteer identification, marketing and promotional support and on-site recognition opportunities in order to ensure a successful event. For more information, visit www.sportsminneapolis.org.

ABOUT USA VOLLEYBALL

Founded in 1928, USA Volleyball is a Colorado incorporated non-profit organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Federation International de Volleyball (FIVB) as the National Governing Body for the disciplines of beach volleyball, indoor volleyball and sitting volleyball in the United States. USA Volleyball has over 315,000 registered members, 12,000 teams and 5,300 clubs nationwide. With an annual budget in excess of $28 million dollars, USA Volleyball supports the USA men's and women's senior national team programs for beach, indoor and sitting volleyball; youth and junior national teams, national championship events, coaching education, certification programs and grassroots development across all disciplines. USA Volleyball has a rich tradition of success as evidenced by winning an Olympic medal in every Olympic Games since 1984, three Paralympic medals since 2004 and capturing numerous World Cup, World Championship and Continental Championship titles. USA Volleyball is committed to and works toward opportunity for all to participate. It is an advocate for all Americans endeavoring to assure universal access to opportunities at all levels of the game. For more information, please visit www.usavolleyball.org.

MEDIA CONTACT

Matt Laible, Communications and Public Relations Manager, 612.767.8220, mattl@minneapolis.org