Tournaments Score Big for Revenue in Columbus
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus could be scoring on and off the field this weekend. An annual soccer tournament is bringing over 50 teams together to the Friendly City from 3 different states and it’s boosting the city’s economy.
“We’re gonna have teams coming from as far as Memphis and Huntsville and the Jackson Metro area”.
Jason Spears is the director of the Golden Triangle Elite Soccer Club.
The Columbus Orthopaedic Riverwalk Spring Invitational is the first tournament the club plans to host as an annual event.
“That’s gonna be a big contributor, a substantial gain for an economic boost here over the weekend.”
Frances Glenn serves as the interim director of tourism for the Columbus.
“Sports tourism is a big part of what we do. Youth sports are huge, so youth tournament sports are even bigger and they have a great economic impact on an area: hotel stays, restaurants, shopping, filling your car up with gas. So tournaments are huge for Columbus.”
“You can of course tie that together with the Munson’s Front Porch event that’s happening just on the other side of the complex here. I think it’s gonna be win for all for the city.”
Spears says the event was truly a team effort.
“One thing about it, is that GTE, we’re very proud to be a part of this community. The Columbus Recreation Department has been a big supporter of us since day one, the city council. We would also like to thank Jennifer Claybrook. She’s been helpful throughout. And we know that there are a lot of parents and kids here in our community that love soccer. We want to put Columbus on the map for being a soccer hub for tournaments and others we can pull together to help us grow.”
