Sports Tourism Boom in NC

Creating Sports Destinations

If you go to the White Cross Recreation Center in Chapel Hill on Tuesday nights, you’ll likely find the Orange County Crushers practicing.?

The travel baseball team, made up of 11-year-olds, plays long after the traditional baseball season ends.?

“This is travel ball so we have a fall season and a spring season,” said Phil Holmes, the team’s coach and the dad of one of the players. “We go into the summer, and we’ve done some winter training in the past as well.”?

On average, the team practices three days a week and travels to tournaments about every other weekend. They even have a former professional ball player as their pitching coach. It’s a significant investment in both time and money.?

“Just the tournament fees and the practice fees and the field rental and all that stuff is about $600,” said Holmes.?

And when you factor in travel expenses for hotel and food, it adds up.?

“I’d say it’s probably about $3,000–$3,500 for the year per player,” said Holmes.?

Travel Sports Boost Local Economies?

The Crushers travel mostly in-state, but several tournaments require overnights, which is a real score for communities that host.?

“You’re staying at the hotel in Goldsboro and eating at the Applebee’s next to the hotel and putting money into economies that maybe wouldn’t otherwise get that money,” said Holmes.?

Kimberly and Michael Soden, who live in Wake Forest, also travel for sports. The couple’s three boys play soccer, hockey, tennis, lacrosse and golf. Tournaments routinely take them out of state.?

“Usually when we travel, the whole family is going,” said Kimberly Soden. “So with a family of five, that’s two hotel rooms for us.”?

Club sports cost the Soden family thousands of dollars each year, but they say it’s money well spent.?

“I think it’s the leadership, the competitiveness, as well as the focus on goals that these sports teach that make it worth it,” said Michael Soden.?

Rocky Mount Capitalizes on the Sports Tourism Trend?

The Soden and Holmes families are part of a growing trend across North Carolina and the rest of the country. Families spend thousands of dollars and travel thousands of miles each year for youth sports. The money these families spend on hotels, restaurants and shopping adds up for local communities.?

It has many communities across the state vying for those tourism dollars. Rocky Mount has been able to breathe life into its downtown with a state-of-the-art sports facility.?

The Rocky Mount Event Center opened in 2018. David Joyner has been the facility’s general manager since December of 2019. Growing up in Rocky Mount, he never envisioned something like it in his hometown.?

“I remember my first weekend looking at a volleyball tournament, and it was special,” said Joyner. “I was amazed seeing thousands of people from literally all over the country, from Washington State to Florida to New York come to downtown Rocky Mount.”?

The 165,000-square-foot facility is home to eight basketball hardwood courts or 16 volleyball courts. The facility has hosted dozens of youth basketball and volleyball tournaments since opening.?

“Most of our volleyball tournaments average between 90 teams to 140 teams, and you times that by the number of people just on the team—the coaches, the staff and then their parents,” said Joyner. “But then also the grandma comes and the uncle comes, and so it’s huge as far as what that does for your economy.”?

County leaders claim the Rocky Mount Event Center is expected to bring an economic impact of $264 million in new spending to Rocky Mount over the first 10 years.?

“We have thousands of people that will come into downtown, visit our restaurants, our local attractions, our shops and fill our hotels,” said Barbara Green, Executive Director of Nash County Travel and Tourism.?

And since Rocky Mount shares a county border with Nash and Edgecombe counties, there’s a good bit of cross-county collaboration. Joyner says when families come to visit from out of town, they’re looking for more than just a nice facility.?

“Yes, we have a space for people to play sports, but they’re coming here for an experience,” said Joyner. “And cities all over the country are competing to build these facilities. And that’s something we don’t take lightly. So it isn’t just how great the facility is, it’s how great the experience they have from when they get off the highway.”?

Between the offerings at Rocky Mount Mills and the opening of new businesses in downtown, Joyner believes they’ve created a great experience for anyone visiting. And he looks forward to the possibility of diversifying the sports tournaments they host, including pickleball and corn hole tournaments.?

For many rural communities like Rocky Mount, local businesses often depend on tourist dollars to bring in revenue.?

Rockingham Speedway Gets a New Start as a Tourist Draw?

In Rockingham, they’re using racing to attract people to the area.?

In the early twentieth century, Rockingham was a vibrant community driven by industry and those in pursuit of the American Dream.?

But as industry left in the late ’90s, so did the downtown dollars. This rural community found itself searching for ways to bring both revenue and tourists back to the area. One tradition always stood out.?

It was 1969 when Rockingham Speedway started hitting its peak, becoming one of racing’s premier destinations.?

Rockingham Speedway, also known as “The Rock,” attracted racing fans who spent plenty in city hotels and restaurants from all over the country.?

“There would be an influx of folks just that would come and flock to Richmond County,” said Bryan Land, Richmond County Manager. “Anywhere from 60,000–70,000 people. Compare that to our population here in Richmond County, which is around 43,000. You can imagine what it did to our local economy.”?

The speedway fell on hard times in the early 2000s and closed, only to reopen as a testing track a few years later. Recently, however, the complex received a multimillion dollar grant to repair and improve the racing facilities.?

“You go all over the world and people have heard of ‘The Rock,’” said Martie Butler, Richmond County’s Economic Development Director. “However, in the last 10 to 15 years, it has not been in the forefront or in the spotlight. But a resurgence or a rebirth can put us on the map. Not only in North Carolina but across the world.”?

Richmond County is one of 15 local governments across North Carolina that have been awarded grants to help motorsports venues recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.?

The grants come from the state’s Motorsports Relief Fund, administered by the North Carolina Department of Commerce. The goal is to enhance local tourism, travel and hospitality industries that benefit from the many motorsports events held in North Carolina.?

“Motorsports are part of the fabric of North Carolina, bringing jobs, tourism dollars and enjoyment to millions,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “These relief funds will help this industry coming out of the pandemic not only get back in the race full speed but spark renewal of rural and urban speedways and stadiums all across our state.”?

Richmond County leaders say the upgrades and repairs to the Rockingham Speedway and neighboring Rockingham Dragway will ultimately bring tax revenues back to this rural county.?

“That’s an impact that really is going to be felt by everyone in our community,” said Meghann Lambeth, Richmond County’s Tourism Director. “And I’m very excited to watch and see what happens.”?

#SportsTourism?#SportsEvents #TravelSports?#EconomicDevelopment

David Hurst is a producer and reporter for ncIMPACT, a multiplatform series produced by PBS North Carolina in association with the UNC School of Government .?

Hosted by UNC Professor Anita Brown-Graham, season five of ncIMPACT visits communities, organizations and businesses across North Carolina that are developing creative solutions to critical issues like health care, education, employment, the economy and the environment. Watch Fridays at 7:30 PM on PBS NC and stream anytime with the PBS App.?

PBS North Carolina provides quality content and services to engage communities, enhance education, enrich lives and tell the stories of North Carolinians.?