Category: Sports Planning Guide Features

When Lon Beale was a youngster living outside of Death Valley in California’s Mojave Desert, the unforgiving climate didn’t provide him with a wealth of entertainment options.

Thus, in 1972, the 14-year-old Beale got creative and took advantage of his surroundings by riding old water skis and skateboards down the many sand dunes that dotted the landscape.

Every year when the calendar flips to January, large segments of the country’s inhabitants face the challenge of attempting to exercise despite temperatures reaching bone-chilling levels.

Outdoor enthusiasts, in particular, struggle to maintain their fitness rituals when ice and snow cloak their favorite running or biking trails for months at a time.

Our industry has seen unprecedented growth, and with it, a great deal of change. As we look ahead, the organizations and leaders that can anticipate (or create) these market shifts will be set up for long-term success. Each year at this time our team sits down to take stock of the past 12 months and tries to predict what market changes are on the horizon. With the element of change in mind, below are our top 10 sports events industry trends to look for in 2018.

According to data recently published by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association and the Aspen Institute, sports participation by children ages 6 through 12 is down almost 8 percent over the last decade.

This sobering fact coincides with statistics showing major participation drops in the big four American youth sports of baseball, football, basketball and soccer.

With the U.S. youth sports market earning an estimated $15 billion in annual revenue, it’s clear the industry is more than just fun and games.

Just ask those tasked with organizing sports tournaments. An abundance of duties, tight budgets and strained workforces are but a few of the stressors plaguing tournament planners, causing them to seek easier and cheaper ways to do business. One aspect planners have been turning to in recent years is third-party tournament housing.