Bloomington to host national softball championship

Bloomington’s economy will get a boost come 2009 when the city hosts the Amateur Softball Association of America national championship tournaments. The city secured the bid for the competitions last week at the ASA annual council meeting in Louisville, Ky.\nThe Girls 10 and Under Class B Fast Pitch and Girls 18 and Under Class A Fast Pitch Northern National Championships will be held July 29 through Aug. 2, 2009 at Twin Lakes Sports Park. The event is expected to draw more than a thousand visitors and significantly impact the economy, said Mike McAfee, executive director of Bloomington/Monroe County Convention and Visitors Bureau.\nAt least one ASA national tournament has been held in Bloomington every year for the past 15 years, McAfee said. \nOver the past 15 years, somewhere in the ballpark of $13 million has been generated from these tournaments, said Mick Renneissen, director of the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department. A strong partnership between the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department and the visitors bureau makes the events possible, McAfee said.\nThe tournament is expected to draw 70 teams and 1,800 visitors to Bloomington, bringing in $800,000. Each person will stay an average of five nights and spend about $85 dollars per day, McAfee said. \nEach tournament has a different capacity for generating economic impact, Renneissen said. A 10 and under tournament will bring in more money because parents and grandparents often attend. Eighteen-year-olds can drive themselves, he said. Regardless of the tournament, all visitors will spend money at gas stations, retail establishments, restaurants and entertainment centers while they are in town, which will boost the economy, Renneissen said. \nASA loves to hold tournaments in Bloomington because of the city’s high quality facilities, Renneissen said. Twin Lakes Sports Park, the site of the tournament, was built in 1992 specifically for the purpose of attracting large-scale events, he said. Part of the competition will be held at Winslow Sports Complex, which was built in 1978 but has been renovated several times since then. \n“Our facilities have a 98 percent rating for excellence,” Renneissen said.