The nation is watching Tuscaloosa. And this time it has nothing to do with the Alabama Crimson Tide football team.
The readers of SportsEvents Magazine recently named Tuscaloosa one of America’s “Destinations to Watch in 2011.” The list recognizes outstanding destinations and venues for hosting sporting events by giving the location a “Reader’s Choice Award,” according to the magazine.
Don Staley, executive director of sports for the Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission, an organization formed in 2010, said that since the commission is still in its infancy, the magazine recognized the community as a whole for its efforts to bring major events to the area.
Over the course of each year, Tuscaloosa hosts major sporting events on all levels of competition. Events range from charitable efforts to professional matches and can bring anywhere from a few thousand people to 100,000 visitors to the city on a given day or weekend.
Staley explained that efforts to bring major events to the area to increase tourism and better the quality of life for residents began as early as the 1970s.
“We started to bring things in on a grassroots level in the late ’70s, early ’80s,” Staley said. “The major emphasis on sports began in 1996 coinciding with the Olympic movement around the Southeast. The major boom of sporting events began in 2005 and we haven’t looked back since.”
Staley said that the southern charm of Tuscaloosa residents and access to great facilities that colleges in the area offer have been contributing factors to the success of events that come to the city.
“Tuscaloosa has always been known as a welcoming community to all visitors who have come here when we host an event,” Staley said. “Our professionalism, hospitality and customer service reflect that welcoming spirit. UA and Shelton State are two wonderful campuses that really have allowed a lot of these events to flourish due to the great facilities. PARA has also been a great partner.”
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox echoed Staley’s thoughts.
“We can never divorce ourselves from the fact that UA is the largest generator of tourism in Tuscaloosa,” Maddox said. “[Football games] bring in 100,000 people each weekend in the fall who wouldn’t otherwise visit but will come back after they do.
“Our ability to host major sporting events is obvious when groups like the Blue Angels come to town. It’s born out of our work with the University and the logistics of crowd control that we have learned from football weekends.”
Each year, the major sporting events that come to Tuscaloosa help to boost the economy and bring thousands to a small college town that might otherwise seem off the radar.
“These events serve a multitude of purposes,” Staley said. “First, it accomplishes the goal of heads in the beds, which benefits our hotels, restaurants and souvenir and entertainment businesses. Secondly, it also serves as a showcase for the schools in our community, as it helps bring in future students to all of our schools.”
One such event that came to Tuscaloosa last year and will return on May 26–30 is the U.S. Adult Soccer South Regional Championship. Staley said the event is “near and dear to [his] heart” and is a great opportunity to see what U.S. soccer is all about.
Kim Bowen, director of programs for Georgia Soccer, said Tuscaloosa is an ideal location as it is central to the geography of Region III, which consists of 11 states and 13 state associations from south Texas to North Carolina.
“The National Cups Competition is the oldest and most prestigious soccer tournament in the United States for any person who is a member of a team playing in a league of four or more teams affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation and the United States Amateur Soccer Association,” Bowen said. “The playing venue offered by the University is an ideal twist to the needs of this competition. The fields are all located in the same area and there are lights available for night games, if needed.”
Other major sporting events include the annual Comcast Downtown [basketball] Slam, which has more than 2,000 participants; the USA Triathlon, with an estimated 3,500 athletes and visitors; the Blue Angels, stars of an air show that attracts about 100,000 people; and the Super 6 Championships for high school football, which brings 60,000 people to the area on alternate years.
“An event [like the Super 6 Championships] is a showcase not only for our city, but for the University as well,” Staley said. “It is a wonderful event and we are excited to be able to be a part of it every two years.”
Tuscaloosa held the first professional boxing event in the state of Alabama at Shelton State last month, which brought in 2,300 visitors of all demographics. The city is set to host its first Firefight Combat challenge at the old Cityfest lot downtown this year from April 30 through May 1.
“Our goals are to continue hosting quality events, bidding to win new events, and to continue to grow our event list year-after-year,” Staley said. “We are currently bidding for a major event for 2014, so our eyes are always on the big fish, but we are flexible enough to host any event, big or small.”
Information on all major sporting events held in Tuscaloosa can be found at visittuscaloosa.com. The website offers information such as press releases for upcoming events, photos from previous events, and a calendar, which is constantly being updated and changed.
“We’re never going to be a destination spot like the beach or mountains,” Maddox said. “But we do have the ability to host large events and we have unbelievable hospitality in this community. We love to have people come here to visit and that spills over to more than just football games in the fall.”
