Game On!May 2011

In this IssueAmerica’s National Pastime •ReturnsWomen’s Professional Soccer•Anquan Boldin Q-Fest•Boxing a Big Hit•USSSA Girl’s Basketball •State Championships

Summer Means the Return of America’s National Pastime in Palm Beach County

Palm Beach County is a nucleus for baseball, America’s national pastime, throughout the summer. More than 430 teams involving over 6,700 athletes will descend on Palm Beach County to compete in 11 major baseball tournaments on a national, regional or state level. The players, coaches and general participants will occupy an estimated 6,100 hotel room nights and generate over $2 million of economic impact for the county. Due to the outstanding baseball facilities, the tropical climate and a strong resume of prestigious baseball events, Palm Beach County has a competitive advantage when it comes to hosting baseball tournaments.

Few communities have baseball venues such as Palm Beach County. Roger Dean Stadium, located in Jupiter, is home to the Florida Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals during the Major League Baseball (MLB) spring training season. Roger Dean Stadium is one of the premier spring training baseball complexes in Florida, consisting of a 7,000 seat stadium and 12 ancillary fields, which makes it capable of hosting any type of tournament. Palm Beach County is also home to the Santaluces Athletic Complex, the former spring training facility for the Montreal Expos. Located in Lantana, this complex maintains a quad of major league baseball size fields. Sponsors

Event Date Venue # of Teams

Estimated Economic Impact

Projected Room Nights Athletes

Triple Crown Baseball Memorial Day Madness

May 28-30 Roger Dean Stadium 70 $52,500 150 1,050

Under Armour Memorial Day Classic

May 28-31 Roger Dean Stadium 35 $105,000 300 525

Under Armour Southeast Regional

June 10-14 Roger Dean Stadium 35 $175,000 500 525

Coast to Coast Baseball Showcase

June 14-19 Roger Dean Stadium 16 $42,000 120 320

Father’s Day Baseball Extravaganza

June 13-19 PGA Park 50 $35,000 100 750

USA Baseball 16U Championships

June 18-25 Roger Dean Stadium 72 $1,400,000 4,000 1,200

USSSA Stars & Stripes Classic

July 2-4 Roger Dean Stadium 24 $17,500 50 360

Under Armour Baseball Firecracker Classic

July 1-5 Roger Dean Stadium 35 $175,000 500 525

Cal Ripken Rookie State Tournament

July 2-5 PGA Park 50 $70,000 200 750

Back to School Baseball Bash

August 6-9 Santaluces Athletic Complex

24 $17,500 50 360

Labor Day Classic Sept. 2-5 Roger Dean Stadium 25 $52,500 150 375

Totals 436 $2,142,000 6,120 6,740

1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 930 • West Palm Beach, FL 33401 • 561.233.3180 • 561.233.3125

America’s National Past Time ( Continued)

Both Roger Dean Stadium and the Santaluces Athletic Complex will host one of the largest baseball tournaments in the

nation, the USA Baseball 16 & Under Championships, scheduled for June 18-25. The Palm Beach County

Sports Commission has partnered with USA Baseball to host the most prestigious baseball event in the nation for the 15 and 16 year old age group. USA Baseball uses this tournament

to recruit and select players to compete on its national team, which will represent the United States during international play, including the International Baseball Federation’s World Championship, taking pace in Lagos de Moreno, Mexico from August 19-28. The USA Baseball 16 & Under Championships include 72 teams and more than 1,200 athletes, competing in 264 games. The event is expected to generate 4,000 room nights and approximately $1.4 million in economic impact. USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport, presiding over 12 million amateur players.

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission worked with Team One Baseball to bring four of its eight Under Armour Team One National Tournaments to Palm Beach County. Roger Dean Stadium will host the Under Armour Memorial Day Classic on May 27-30, the Under Armour Southeast Regional on June 10-14, the Under Armour Firecracker Classic on July 1-5, and the Labor Day Classic on September 2-5. Three of these national events are wood composite bat tournaments, attracting high level 18 & under and 16 & under travel teams from across the country. The Labor Day Classic is a competitive 14 & under tournament featuring teams from across the United States. Following this talent is a substantial number of MLB and collegiate baseball scouts. These tournaments should attract 130 local and traveling teams, creating more than 1,400 room nights and $500,000 of economic impact for Palm Beach County.

Whether it is wood bats or metal bats, highly talented travel teams or little leaguers just learning to play the game, baseball fields across Palm Beach County will be active this summer. America’s past time will have a presence that is not easily replicated anywhere else throughout the United States. These baseball events promote Palm Beach County as an elite youth baseball destination and are significant contributors to the sports tourism industry.

Florida Atlantic University will serve as the 2011 host site for the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) team, magicJack. WPS is the highest level women’s professional soccer league in North America. Formed in September 2007 as the result of the efforts of the Women’s Soccer Initiative, Inc., WPS began play on March 29, 2009.

Franchises are individually owned and operated by a group of investors in each market. In addition, two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash and former Yahoo! President and COO Jeff Mallett are investors and part owners in the league.

The six team league includes the Atlanta Beat, Boston Breakers, Philadelphia Independence, Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY), magicJack and the Western New York Flash. The magicJack 2011 season will feature nine games at the FAU soccer fields in Boca Raton.

MagicJack team members include some of the most recognizable names from the U.S. Women’s National Team such as Abby Wambach (U.S. soccer player of the year), Hope Solo, Christie Rampone, Shannon Boxx, Lindsay Tarpley, Becky Sauerbrunn and Meghan Klingenberg. MagicJack’s roster also includes Australian National Team member Lisa De Vanna. MagicJack is coached by Mike Lyons and the general manager is former U.S. National Team goalkeeper Brianna Scurry (World Cup champion

and Olympic gold medalist).

The first home game of the season took place on Saturday, April 23. More than 1,000 fans were in attendance to see magicJack upset the Boston Breakers with a 1-0 win.

Many WPS players will be competing in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany. Don’t

miss the opportunity to see some of the most notable names in women’s soccer up-close and personal! For more information or to purchase tickets, call 866.FAU.OWLS

Palm Beach County Nets Women’s Professional Soccer Team

Bryce Harper - 2009 USA Baseball participant;

2010 #1 MLB draft pick

1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 930 • West Palm Beach, FL 33401 • 561.233.3180 • 561.233.3125

Anquan Boldin Seventh Annual Q-Festival Weekend

Pahokee natitve and three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Anquan Boldin of the Baltimore Ravens along with the Anquan Boldin Foundation (Q81 Foundation) recently celebrated the 7th Annual Q-Festival Weekend on April 14-16. Q-Fest is comprised of the Charity Golf Tournament, which took place on April 14, on the Champions Course at the world renowned PGA National Resort and Spa. In addition, the charity

event included a celebrity basketball game at Pahokee High School gymnasium on April 15 and Fun Day in the Park on April 16 at the Pahokee’s Anquan Boldin Stadium.

Several former and current NFL stars made appearances during the weekend to support the event including Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson, Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, Ed Reed, Ray Rice, Gary Payton, Darrelle Revis, Brandon Marshall, Stephen A. Smith, Devin Hester, James

Lee, Pierre Garcon, Abe Elam, Patrick Peterson and others.

The Q-Festival weekend raises funds to promote the Anquan Boldin Foundation (Q81 Foundation), which is a is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization formed in September 2004 . The Foundation’s mission is to expand the educational and life opportunities of underprivileged children. “Q-Fest is a lot of fun, and it’s my way of giving back to my home community who support me while growing up and through my career,” Boldin said.

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission was on hand and developed an interactive football clinic during Fun Day in the Park. The Sports Commission had a five station clinic set-up allowing youth

the opportunity to test their agility, speed and other skills that are essential to the game of football. Approximately 600 children passed through the interactive clinic.

Boldin decided early in his NFL career to host this annual event in order to give back to his hometown community of Pahokee, Florida. “Q-Fest keeps getting better and more of Pahokee and the surrounding c o m m u n i t i e s consider the event as a must-attend in

the month of April,” says Boldin. “Each year the Anquan Boldin Foundation uses this event as a way to allow kids to have fun and meet the athletes they see on TV. We also encourage the community to join together and continue doing what we can to support our youth who need us.”

Pahokee named their state of the art, high school stadium after Boldin for his dedication to the community. Boldin was also recently honored as the Ravens Walter Payton Man of the Year for his work on and off the field.

Anquan Boldin mingling with fans

Anquan Boldin signing autographs

Florida Youth Silver Gloves hosted the Four State Regional Junior Olympics Boxing Championships at Westgate Recreational Center on April 22-23. Nearly 100 athletes traveled from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida to meet ringside in Palm Beach County. Following the event, five athletes qualified to advance to the National Junior Olympics taking place this summer in Michigan. As the event rotates through each state, Palm Beach County has the opportunity to host the Regional Championships once every four years. “The success of the event is accredited to three primary agencies working well with one another—the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office”, said Tournament Director, Mike Le Strange. For the ninth year, Florida Youth Silver Gloves will also be hosting the State Championships, December 3-4, 2011, where approximately 125 athletes will travelfrom throughout the state to battle it out.

Boxing a Big Hit in Palm Beach County

w w w. Pa l m B e a c h S p o r t s . c o m

1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 930West Palm Beach, FL 33401

Tel: (561) 233-3180 Fax: (561) 233-3125

Corporate Sponsors

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is working in partnership with the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) to host the Girls Basketball State Championships on June 3-5, 2011. This event will spotlight numerous Palm Beach County facilities. Competition venues include Jupiter Community Center, Jupiter High School, Jupiter Christian High School, Independence Middle School, West Jupiter Recreation Center and Jupiter Middle School.

Palm Beach County Hosts USSSA Girls Basketball State ChampionshipsThis is one of the largest and most competitive basketball tournaments in the state. Palm Beach County hosted the USSSA Girls Basketball State Championships for grades 5-8 in 2010. This year, the tournament has expanded to host all age groups which include grades 3-12. The event is expected to attract an estimated 80 teams and 1,000 athletes from across the state of Florida, generating over 800 hotel room nights. USSSA Florida hosts 120 tournaments from March to May that serve as qualifiers for the State Championships.