Richmond region scores in sports tourism

With several new and expanded facilities across the region, the greater Richmond area has become an attractive hub for amateur sporting events, bringing in hundreds of thousands of visitors and millions of dollars in added revenue.

The region’s amateur sports tourism generated $88.7 million in hospitality-related revenue in fiscal 2023, according to Jerrine Lee, vice president of sales for Richmond Region Tourism, which covers Richmond, Colonial Heights and the counties of Chesterfield, Henrico, Hanover and New Kent. Three out of four event attendees came from more than 50 miles away, resulting in overnight stays.

Last year, the Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority — launched in 2022 to focus on local sports programming — transformed the former Virginia Center Commons mall into a 185,000-square-foot, flexible-use facility with capacity for 4,500 guests and 12 basketball or 24 volleyball courts, expanding the county’s portfolio from its existing outdoor sports facilities. In April, Henrico announced Shamin Hotels would build two hotels and two restaurants beside the center.

The new Henrico Sports & Events Center booked 46 weekends of tournaments in its first year, says Dennis Bickmeier, executive director of the Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority.

The $50 million facility hit the ground running in March by hosting the Atlantic 10 women’s basketball tournament, a three-year contract. The facility’s inaugural events garnered $10 million in added economic impact during its first three months, according to Bickmeier.

Chesterfield County, meanwhile, is building on the 13-year-old River City Sportsplex, which the county purchased for $5.5 million in 2016. Four new synthetic turf fields will join River City’s existing dozen fields by September, allowing the complex to host 16-field tournaments or even two simultaneous tournaments. The department has also acquired Harry G. Daniel Park, with 14 previously privately owned diamond fields.

“River City has already had millions of dollars of economic impact on our local businesses, including hotels, restaurants and attractions,” says J.C. Poma, executive director for Chesterfield’s Sports, Visitation and Entertainment Department, formed in May 2023. “With up to 48 teams playing in a single sold-out tournament, multiplied by 30 or more weekends of tournaments, the impact to our hospitality community will be huge.”

In fiscal 2023, Chesterfield’s sports tourism added $1.8 million in local tax revenue and $116 million in direct revenue from 83 events; the county is on pace to exceed 150 events for fiscal 2024, says Poma.