Report to the Commerce Committee

of the Connecticut Legislature

by the State’s Sports Advisory Board
Lynn Carlotto
Arena at Harbor Yard, GM
Gene Doris
Fairfield University, AD

Anne Worcester
Pilot Pen Tennis, Tournament Director

February 9, 2010
2008 Women’s NCAA Division I
1st and 2nd Rounds Basketball Tournament
March 23 & 25, 2008

• Arena at Harbor Yard, Bridgeport

• Fairfield University (Host)
• 8 Schools, 8 teams
• Attendance: 17,739
• Hotel Room nights: 1,100
• Economic impact: $2.1M
• TV coverage: ESPN
Women’s BIG EAST Basketball
Conference Championship
Tournament
March 6-10, 2009
• XL Center, Hartford
• BIG EAST Conference (host)
• 16 schools, 16 teams
• Attendance: 64,275
• Hotel Room nights: 2,700
• Economic impact: $2.7M
• TV coverage: ESPN & BIG EAST Network
Metro Atlantic Athletic
Conference
Men’s & Women’s Basketball Conference Championship
March 1-5, 2007
• Arena at Harbor Yard, Bridgeport
• MAAC (host)
• 10 schools, 20 teams (men & women)
• Attendance: 19,419
• Hotel Room nights: 2,100
• Economic impact: $2.1M
• TV coverage: ESPN & MSG Network
America East 2010
America East (NCAA Division I) Men’s & Women’s
Basketball Conference Championship
March 4-7, 2010

• Reich Family Pavilion, University of

Hartford
• America East Conference (host)
• 9 schools, 18 teams
• Attendance expected: 15,000
• Hotel Room nights expected: 3,400
• Economic impact expected: $1.6M
• TV coverage: ESPN & NESN
Men’s NCAA Div. I Ice Hockey
East Regional 2009
March 27-28, 2009

• Arena at Harbor Yard, Bridgeport

• Yale University and Fairfield University (co-
hosts)
• 4 schools, 4 teams
• Attendance: 14,939
• Hotel Room nights: 972
• Economic impact: $1.2M
• TV coverage: ESPN
Travelers Championship
PGA TOUR FedExCup Event
June 22-28, 2009

• TPC River Highlands, Cromwell

• 156 Professional Golfers from around the
world
• Attendance: 250,000
• Hotel Room nights: 4,400
• Economic impact: estimated over $20M
annually
• TV coverage: CBS & The Golf Channel
Pilot Pen Tennis
Olympus U.S. Open Series Event
on ATP World Tour & Sony Ericsson WTA
Tour
August 21-29, 2009
• Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, New
Haven
• Over 500 professional men’s and women’s
players, coaches and officials
• Attendance: 90,000
• Hotel Room nights: 3,500
• Economic impact: exceeded $26M
• TV coverage: CBS and ESPN
VISA Championships
Men’s & Women’s National Gymnastics
Championships
August 11-14, 2010
• XL Center, University of Hartford,
Connecticut Convention Center
• 775 athletes, coaches, judges, staff
• Attendance expected: 30,000
• Convention delegates: 2,100
• Hotel Room nights expected: 6,000
• Economic impact expected: $6.5M
• TV coverage: NBC & Universal Sports
Setanta Cup Challenge
Rugby 2008
August 23, 2008

• Rentschler Field, East Hartford

• 225 athletes, coaches, media
• Attendance: 7,276
• Hotel Room nights: 1,200
• Economic impact: $1.1M
• TV Coverage: ESPN & Setanta Sports
Network (International)
Connecticut Polar Bears
Women’s Holiday Ice Hockey
Tournament
December 27-30, 2009
• Largest U.S. amateur hockey tournament
• 11 ice rinks statewide
• 3,500 athletes, 225 teams from 25 states,
including 3 Canadian provinces
• Attendance: 6,000
• Hotel Room nights: 11,000
• Economic impact: estimated $3M
What events can colleges and
universities bring to
Connecticut?
• Uniquely positioned to host in-season tournaments,
conference championships and NCAA events.
• Each institution has had the ability to host an event
individually, collectively, or in conjunction with their
respective conference and has been successful in
such efforts.
• Having them bid in competition with each other for
the same events, particularly with NCAA events,
may not produce optimum results; e.g., instead of
getting an NCAA event in 3 of 5 years, the result
may only be 1 of 5 years or not at all.
Potential Bidders

• There are 7 NCAA Division I institutions in the

state encompassing 5 conferences:
– UConn (BIG EAST)
– Central Connecticut (Northeast)
– Fairfield (Metro Atlantic Athletic)
– Hartford (America East)
– Quinnipiac (Northeast)
– Sacred Heart (Northeast)
– Yale (Ivy)
• Collectively the relationships encompass 48
collegiate institutions outside the state of
Connecticut.
Case Study
2012-14 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
(MAAC) Men’s & Women’s Basketball
Championships
• The Arena at Harbor Yard in conjunction
with Fairfield University successfully bid for
the 2008 and 2011 MAAC Men’s and
Women’s Basketball Championships.
• The 2008 event was a major impact to
Bridgeport and the surrounding area with
approximately 2,100 room nights, 9 out of
area institutions and 18 out of area men’s
and women’s teams.
Case Study
2012-14 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
(MAAC) Men’s & Women’s Basketball
Championships
• The MAAC as other conferences and the
NCAA now utilize consultants to assess the
value of their events and assist in the bid
process.
• Criteria in the bid specs included primary
deal points:
- financial guarantee
- facilities requirements
- hotel considerations
- amenities
- transportation considerations
Case Study
2012-14 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
(MAAC) Men’s & Women’s Basketball
Championships
• Bid was for 3 years: 2012-14
• Arena at Harbor Yard met the bid specs.
• The MAAC awarded the Basketball
Championships to the MassMutual Center
in Springfield, MA.
• Massachusetts Sports Partnership (MSP), a
central office bringing support for all
venues in the state, was a critical factor in
securing the bid for a neighboring state
with no ties to the MAAC.
Case Study
2012-14 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
(MAAC) Men’s & Women’s Basketball
Championships
What was the motivation for a city with no ties to
the MAAC to bid?
• The CVB for Springfield estimates that the event
will generate $4-$5 million to the local economy.
• Additionally, MSP placed considerable value on
the television exposure including the Men’s
Championship on ESPN as collateral in bringing
attention to Springfield.
• MSP provided the support necessary to bring
together all the necessary resources to secure
the MAAC award.
Case Study
2012-14 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
(MAAC) Men’s & Women’s Basketball
Championships

The Lesson
• With no central organization to ascertain
that the MAAC also had an interest in a
neutral site, an event was lost to a
neighboring state and a city 30 miles
away.
• A neighboring state secured an event that
is expected to bring $4-$5 million dollars in
revenue to the local economy and national
attention to the host area.
Impact of Hosting
Major Collegiate Events

• Positive economic and social impact on the local community

during the event.
• Residual economic impact: in the month preceding the
NCAA Women’s Basketball Regional event in 2006, The
Bridgeport Regional title was advanced by ESPN nationally
in its build-up to the event. Those “free” advertising
opportunities on a national platform to promote the state
are difficult to quantify.
• Ancillary events like Park City SportsFest in Bridgeport,
which has run in conjunction with college events the last 4
years, create a community atmosphere that assists in family
oriented entertainment that otherwise wouldn’t exist.
Being competitive in the future

• The NCAA and conferences are turning heavily to a business

model in which bidders are being judged on a higher level of
revenue generation and coordination than in the past.
• Colleges and universities are not in the business of assuming
heavy financial risk and may be reluctant to bid under the
new criteria.
• Sports commissions have become a major factor in securing
collegiate events: awarding agencies like one-stop shopping
that connects necessary bid requirements beyond the level
of support provided by an arena or school.
Future Opportunities

• NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Regional and

Opening Rounds
• NCAA Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse
• NCAA Softball
• NCAA Cross Country Championships
• Numerous conference championship events
• U.S. Figure Skating National Championships
• Special Olympics USA Games
• AAU Boy’s/Girl’s Basketball Nationals
• National Senior Games
• American Youth Soccer National Games
• National Sailing Championships
Current State Sports Industry
Connecticut has a thriving sports industry with a
myriad of other facilities and events. Here is a sample
of those sports entities that provide jobs and quality of
life to the state:
• AUTO RACING - Lime Rock Park (Lakeville); Stafford Motor Speedway
(Stafford Springs); Waterford Speedbowl
– FAST FACT: Lime Rock has annual attendance of 100,000, is a principle economic driver
of the NW part of the state and has 8 races televised nationally.
• PRO BASEBALL - New Britain Rock Cats (Double-A affiliate Minnesota
Twins); Bridgeport Bluefish (Independent); Norwich – TBD
– FAST FACT: The Rock Cats are the oldest continuously operating professional sports
franchise in the state, drew over 370,000 fans in 2009 and employ 200 people. 

• PRO HOCKEY - Hartford Wolfpack (AHL affiliate NY Rangers); Bridgeport

Sound Tigers (AHL affiliate NY Islanders); Danbury Whalers (FHL)
– FAST FACT: The Wolfpack and Sound Tigers combined for a total attendance of 348,720
in 2008-09.

• PRO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL - Connecticut Sun (WNBA)

– FAST FACT: Hosting 2010 WNBA All-Star Game at Mohegan Sun
Current State Sports Industry

• GOLF – The Connecticut State Golf Association has 187 member

clubs, 92 of which are public courses, including 32 owned by
municipalities.
– FAST FACT – The municipal courses provide substantial revenue to
each town government through greens fees and other sources. CSGA
will conduct 51 events in 2010, many including out of state golfers.
• Other sports that attract attendees to support CT tourism:
– Running - Road races/marathons
– Biking – Races/triathlons
– Sailing – Regional/national championships
– Outdoors – Fishing tournaments
– Youth sports tournaments/special events attract thousands of
athletes, coaches, and families to CT each year.
– Special Olympics Summer World Games – New Haven, July 1995 – The
largest international and humanitarian
event in the world was held in CT 15 years ago. The 2011 event in
Athens expects 7,500 athletes from 185 countries.
Charitable and Educational
Benefits
Sports events provide benefits to CT residents
that are significant to our communities in the
following ways:
Financial
• Travelers Championship golf tournament (Greater
Hartford)
– In 2009, generated $1,080,000 to benefit the event’s
130 designated charities, including primary
beneficiaries the Greater Hartford Jaycees and The
Hole In The Wall Gang Camp.
– Since it’s inception in 1952, the golf event has
donated $27 million back to state charities.

• Connecticut State Golf Association

– Has raised over $2.3M for scholarships for more than
500 college students.
Charitable and Educational
Benefits

Community Involvement
• Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament, New Haven
– Partnership between the tourney, New Haven Parks & Rec & USTA New England
has given city residents access to affordable year-round tennis programs.
– Nearly 3,500 kids have gone through these programs.

• CT Boxing Commission
– Over 20 gyms throughout the state support the amateur boxing scene, which
serves as a safe alternative to the streets and provides mentoring for at-risk
youth.

• Park City SportsFest, Bridgeport

– A free, family fun festival for the past 4 years in conjunction with college events
at the Arena at Harbor Yard. Thousands of youngsters/ families have attended.
Other State Sports
Commissions

• Approximately 25 states have an entity

overseeing coordinated sports tourism
activities.
• Delaware is the most recent to start a state
sports commission in November 2009.
• The recent model and trend for state
commissions is to create a private
organization comprised of sports
stakeholders that work cooperatively with a
state-run agency and with the support of the
state.
Other State Sports
Commissions

• A relevant example of this type of public/private effort

is the Massachusetts Sports Partnership. Established
in 1992, the MSP is a division of the state’s Sports and
Entertainment Commission.
• MSP has secured the following major sporting events
in the past few years:
– 2012-2014 MAAC Men’s & Women’s Basketball
Conference Championship Tournaments
– 2009 NCAA D-I Women’s Hockey Frozen Four
– 2009 AHL All-Star Classic
– 2008 NCAA D-I Women’s Final Four
– 2008 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships
– 2008 NCAA Men’s D-I Lacrosse Championships
– 2008 NCAA Men’s D-III Volleyball Championships
Next Steps

• Endorsement of a Sports Commission concept by the

State
• Sports Advisory Board assigned the task of developing a
“Connecticut” Model