Brownwood News – (by Mike Blagg)  At a joint meeting of the Brownwood City Council and the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce, City of Brownwood Sports Coordinator Roland Soto presented a report on sports tourism in Brownwood in 2019.  Among the highlights from 2019:

*** Brownwood hosted 17 softball and baseball tournaments, and one soccer tournament

*** The Harlem Globetrotters played at the Coliseum with over 2300 in attendance

***  Brownwood hosted three High School basketball playoff games in the Coliseum, a direct result of the marketing from the TexasBank Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament.

***  Brownwood had an estimated 28,214 sports tourism visitors to City of Brownwood venues and facilities.

***  Sports events at City of Brownwood facilities accounted for 3,836 hotel room nights, up from 2,041 in 2018

***  The estimated economic impact from sports tourism in Brownwood in 2019 was $1.4 million, up from $863 thousand in 2018

***  The hotel room nights are expected to exceed 4,000, and the economic impact is expected to exceed $1.7 million by the end of the year with the upcoming TexasBank Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament.

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Soto said the keys to sports marketing success in 2019 included:  working with local sports league associations, local hotel involvement, event specific marketing, social media presence, excellent facility conditions, and hospitality.

Upcoming events include:

***  The 2019 TexasBank Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament.  This year’s tournament will have 30 teams, the largest field in the 50+ year history of the tournament.  The games will be played at the Coliseum, and in both gyms at Brownwood High School.  The tournament will take place December 26-27-28.  A tournament pass for all games, all three days, can be purchased for only $15.

***  We already have 13 softball and baseball tournaments scheduled for 2020

***  There will possibly be a summer 2020 tennis tournament, similar to the Mason Dr. Pepper Open, discussion are ongoing.