CLEVELAND — The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission is celebrating its 20th year in style, as the city will be hosting 11 events at the amateur, collegiate and professional ranks throughout 2020 that will yield a positive economic boon for Northeast Ohio.
Headlined by first- and second-round games in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, the events are expected to generate more than $19.9 million in economic impact for Cleveland.
“Reaching a 20-year milestone as an organization is a huge accomplishment for the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission,” said David Gilbert, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. “As I think back to where we started with hosting two events that first year, I’m humbled to think how much we’ve grown as an organization and how thankful I am for the support of our community partners.”
Cleveland will host more than 340 girls volleyball teams during the Junior Volleyball Association Rock ‘N Rumble (Jan. 18-19), and 10 other major sporting events will be held in Northeast Ohio between January and July.
Cleveland will host the NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships (Mar. 11-14), as well as the American Cornhole League (Mar. 14-15), Dru Joyce Classic (April 24-26) and the 7th Annual Stonewall Sports National Tournament (July 10-12).
Additionally, Cleveland will host the Big Ten Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships (Feb. 28-29), NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament first- and second-round games (Mar. 20 and 22), the Mid-American Conference Baseball Championships (May 20-24), USA Wrestling’s Under 23 World Team Trials (May 28-31), the USA Jump Rope Nationals (June 23-28) and USA Beach Rugby (July 25).
Five of those events are expected to generate more than $1 million in economic impact by themselves, led by projections of $8 million for the NCAA Tournament, $3.5 million from the Dru Joyce Classic and $3.15 million for the Junior Volleyball Association Rock ‘N Rumble.
The USA Jump Rope Nationals and Stonewall Sports National Tournament are expected to generate more than $1 million in economic impact for Northeast Ohio.
“To date, our non-profit is responsible for attracting and hosting 203 events which have provided an estimated nearly $811 million in economic impact to Northeast Ohio,” Gilbert said in the release. “Our goal is to continue for another 20 years, and beyond, to make Cleveland the preferred destination for large-scale sporting events.”
The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission is off to a good start with the goal of bringing more “large-scale sporting events” to Northeast Ohio, as in April of 2021, the city will host the NFL Draft. Also, the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four will be played at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland on April 5 and 7.