VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – An amateur softball world series will be coming to Virginia Beach.
The Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau announced that Virginia Beach will be the host city for the 2020 Amateur Sports Alliance of North America Softball World Series.
This is a five-day tournament and one of the largest annual female sporting events in the world.
Over 1,500 athletes, coaches and spectators and almost 100 teams from cities across North America travel to compete and celebrate equality. The event will go from September 16-20, 2020.
“This is a huge win for Virginia Beach on several fronts,” said Brad Van Dommelen, director of the CVB. “Obviously from a business standpoint, this tournament will further the already tremendous economic impact tourism makes on our city. From a community perspective, this underscores our commitment to inclusion and diversity and reinforces the fact that Virginia Beach is open and welcoming to all.”
In 2007, ASANA was created as a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the participation of LGBTQIA+ Women in amateur athletics. The CVB Sports Marketing team bid on the tournament in partnership with the Norfolk United Women’s Softball Association who will serve as the host organization.
“The unique opportunity to partner with our friends in Norfolk is a prime example of the regionalism needed to promote Coastal Virginia,” Van Dommelen continued. “We are very excited to have the opportunity to host this event and showcase our coastal city.”
Tourism is said to be one of the major economic drivers for Virginia Beach. In 2018, tourism related expenditures topped $2.45 billion and visitation reached 19 million.
The sports industry has grown tremendously as a niche tourism market, especially for families who look to add on dates to their sports event trips to plan “sportcations” where sports and leisure vacations become one.
