Bowl game brings economic impact and national attention to the region
PIMA COUNTY –On Tuesday, Oct. 17, the Pima County Board of Supervisors approved 4-1 a $40,000 sponsorship for the Dec. 29 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl, held in Tucson for third consecutive year.
“The financial support our Pima County Board of Supervisors has provided for this event is a great investment for the region,” Attractions and Tourism Director Diane Frisch said. “It’s win for everyone in Pima County. Arizona Bowl brings business to hotels, restaurants, local merchants and tourist attractions, not to mention the pride it brings to members of this community who get to host a nationally-recognized sporting event locally.”
Owners of the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl plan to use the County’s sponsorship to offset operating costs associated with bringing the teams and game to Tucson. The Arizona Bowl game features teams from the Mountain West and Sun Belt conferences.
Over the past two years, Arizona Bowl has generated significant community excitement, resulting in more tourists, publicity and an overall economic benefit for the region. Starting this 2017 season, the area will gain more attention thanks to a multi-year television agreement between Arizona Bowl and CBS Sports Network to televise the game nationally, an upgrade from last year’s internet broadcast.
In 2016, the Arizona Bowl attracted more than 33,000 attendees, a 37% increase over its inaugural year in 2015. The estimated economic impact of the 2016 bowl game, according to the UA Eller College of Management was about $21 million.
“This high-caliber event brings numerous sports fans to stay in our resorts and hotels during a time of year that’s generally slow for the Tucson lodging industry, but absolutely wonderful to visit,” Frisch said.
In addition to the economic benefit generated by Arizona Bowl visitors, the game will help local charities, too. Similar to previous years, the non-profit organization that owns the game plans to award all net proceeds generated from the bowl game to local charities. In 2016, the organization donated over $200,000.
Another area that will profit from the bowl game is Kino Sports Complex. For second consecutive year, the North Complex will host practice for both participating bowl teams from Dec. 25-29.
For additional information on the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl, including ticket purchases, and Bowl Week events, visit novaarizonabowl.com.