Jacksonville would use $1.5 million to get back in the game for sports tourism
![Kentucky guard Ashton Hagans (2) goes up for a shot against Wofford in their second round match of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Saturday, March 23, 2019 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. [Will Dickey/Florida Times-Union]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/f8EuGL6k90PAY30YfQbLsw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD03ODc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-florida-times-union/fb7a1a147a1cb6d87dc5e61f6c6190dd)
The Clemson and Kentucky fans who converge on Jacksonville for this year's TaxSlayer Gator Bowl will show the benefits of hosting NCAA games when people in town for the game will pump millions of dollars into the Jacksonville economy.
Jacksonville used to get another piece of NCAA action every four or five years when opening rounds of the NCAA men's basketball tournament were played at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in 2006, 2010, 2015 and 2019.
Since then, the closest Jacksonville has come to the frenzy of March Madness has been watching television broadcasts from other cities. The NCAA has already locked in host cities for the tournament through 2026.
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City Council President Ron Salem points to those opening-round games as a lost opportunity for Jacksonville to host high-profile sports events that will bring visitors to town.
He filed legislation that would move $1.5 million from the city's Tourism Development Council, which oversees hotel bed tax collections, to Visit Jacksonville so it can actively place bids for pursuing those events.
"Jacksonville has a whole lot to offer," Salem said. "We've just got to sell it. We've got to be at those NCAA meetings and be able to put in bids."
Jacksonville Sports Council has run its course
Salem's proposal would be the second time in a decade Jacksonville has shaken up how it goes after those games and tourism spending that comes with them.
The city abolished its longstanding Sports and Entertainment Commission in 2014 and joined Gator Bowl Sports in creating the Jacksonville Sports Council, a nonprofit set up to lead the charge for landing big sports events. The Jacksonville Sports Council has dialed back its recruitment, however, as Gator Bowl Sports focuses its attention on the annual bowl game and related charities.
Competition for sports tourism is fierce and has become more intense over the years, but Jacksonville's weather and sports venues put it in a good position to win some bids, Salem said.
The biggest win would be to break into the rotation of cities that will host the expanded NCAA football playoffs. Salem said that could be a play Jacksonville can make if the city renovates EverBank Stadium with a roof and other upgrades. Those stadium negotiations are continuing with the Jaguars as part of extending the team's lease beyond the 2029-30 football season.
Salem said other NCAA events also should be on the table, whether it's basketball or volleyball of track and field, in both men's and women's divisions.
"I think the opportunities are just endless," he said.
Jacksonville Sports Council, also known as JaxSports, notched some nationally televised showcases such as the Navy versus Notre Dame football game in 2016, the Southeast Conference women's basketball tournament in 2016, and a Florida State University football game against Boise State in 2019.
NCAA track and field shows power of repeat business
JaxSports joined the University of North Florida and Jacksonville University in announcing that the opening rounds of the NCAA men's basketball tournament would be Jacksonville in 2019, and rounds one and two of the NCAA men's and women's track and field outdoor championship would be in Jacksonville in 2019 and 2021.
![Angelina Ellis (162) of Butler and Ceili McCabe (1711) of West Virginia lead over the water jump, pursued by Kristel van den Berg of Ole Miss, in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase during the NCAA East Preliminary track and field meet at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville on May 27, 2023. [Clayton Freeman/Florida Times-Union]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/AW5yRNCn4ok0ja6E9l26ew--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTg0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-florida-times-union/051537003819cd206b9cf5b6aac1c283)
UNF has worked over the years with Visit Jacksonville to pay for upgrades to the track at Hodges Stadium so it could host the preliminaries for the NCAA track and field championships, which also were at UNF in 2023 and will be there again in 2025.
This year, the city's Division of Sports & Entertainment worked with Bethune-Cookman to play against Southern University at at EverBank Stadium, the second year in a row Bethune-Cookman has played in Jacksonville. At one time, the school hosted the Gateway Classic in Jacksonville during the 1980s, 1990s and through 2006.
The city's sports and entertainment division would work with Visit Jacksonville to provide the staff for recruiting sports events. Visit Jacksonville CEO Michael Corrigan said successful cities have create a commission or foundation to spearhead their activities and the finances to put in bids, travel to sports conventions and make the city's case.
"There are a lot of things that involve dollars and cents," he said.
Salem said a board, which could have some "big sports giants here in town" as ex-officio members, would lead the effort and also work to attract private dollars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville wants more NCAA games for sports tourism
