“From
a purely economic standpoint, these regional games are great for cities
because they bring in eight teams, coaches, bands, and fans from eight
different areas,” said Richard Scharf, president & CEO of VISIT
DENVER.
Denver
Sports, a division of VISIT DENVER, the Pepsi Center team and Dan
Butterly, senior associate commissioner with the Mountain West
Conference were instrumental in submitting Denver’s winning bid. “We
have hosted these preliminary rounds in 2004, 2008 and 2011, and based
on past history, we will see all six games sell out, with a huge
following of fans filling hotels and restaurants,” Scharf said. In
addition, Scharf said, Denver will receive national television exposure.
The
NCAA has also selected Denver to host two upcoming sporting events: the
2015 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Quarterfinals at Sports Authority Field, and
the 2016 NCAA Division II (DII) Spring Sports Festival, a six day event
that will be held in The Mile High City for the first time. The Spring
Sports Festival includes six championships (Men’s Golf, Women’s Golf,
Women’s Lacrosse, Men’s Tennis, Women’s Tennis, and Softball) rolled
into one event. “The unique feature of this sporting event is that all
teams stay for the entire six day festival, even if their team has been
eliminated, thereby increasing the number of overnight stays and the
economic impact,” said Joan McDermott, athletic director at Metropolitan
State University of Denver.
Scharf
noted that Denver has always had a history of being a major sports
destination, going back to the 1990 NCAA Men’s Final Four, and more
recently the NBA, MLB and NHL All-Star games as well as the NCAA Frozen
Four and NCAA Women’s Final Four in 2012. “Continuing to host world
class events like the 2014 World Lacrosse Championships, the 2014 BMW
Championship and the USA Pro Challenge bring economic development and
major media attention. And, they are a lot of fun for residents to
attend,” Scharf said.