Kentucky Sports Alliance Helps Attract the State’s Top Events

With more than 150 facilities across the state, planners can find the right venue and location for any event.

By Jason Paha

Kentucky is a state renowned for hosting some of the world’s best sporting events.

From the legendary Kentucky Derby to the PGA Championship, the Bluegrass State knows how to hold a captivating sports competition.

The newly rebranded Kentucky Sports Alliance (formerly Team Kentucky) is a big reason why Kentucky attracts such quality events.

The Alliance’s members showcase more than 150 facilities across the state, with a veteran team that can help planners find the right venue for their event.

“Team Kentucky was around for over 20 years and did a great job,” said Brad Knapp of Louisville Tourism. “(This rebrand came about because) we felt like it was time to showcase a more sports focus, especially in our name. The same people are still here, just with an updated brand.”

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The Alliance is made up of these partners: Bowling Green CVB, Corbin Tourism Commission, Elizabethtown CVB, Hopkins County Tourism & Convention Commission, Kentucky Department of Tourism, Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, Kentucky Venues, London/Laurel County CVB, Louisville Sports Commission, Louisville Tourism, McCracken County Sports Tourism, Murray CVB, Paducah CVB, Visit Hopkinsville and Visit Lexington.

Here are some of the top events these CVBs attract:

Bowling Green CVB

Bowling Green features a diverse offering of sports facilities that can accommodate events year-round. Its newest state-of-the-art 56,000-square-foot gymnasium and indoor tennis/multipurpose facility at Michael O. Buchanan Park can cater to any event, as the facility has interchangeable floors.

Bowling Green has also earned a reputation as ‘Vette City, since it is the home of the National Corvette Museum and it hosts a variety of outdoor events, live music and yearly festivals as well as the famed Michelin NCM Bash, an event where Corvette fans have an in-depth experience learning about the latest Corvette news. The museum also hosts the Buick GS Nationals (now in its 45^th year) and the NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem.

Corbin Tourism Commission

The Corbin Arena is a 100,000 square foot, multi-purpose facility. It offers full arena rental and is conveniently 87 miles south of Lexington, KY and 83 miles north of Knoxville, TN. The venue directly reaches a primary market of over 500,000 people within a 50-mile radius and Corbin has a strong visitor services infrastructure in place with more than 800 hotel rooms. This venue can host a variety of events and has hosted a slew of top artists including REO Speedwagon and Ludacris in 2024.

Elizabethtown CVB

With a Big-League atmosphere, state-of-the-art facilities and endless family fun and entertainment in downtown Elizabethtown, the legendary Ripken Experience creates lifelong memories. Elizabethtown Sports Park consists of 12 youth turf fields with LED lighting, nine dedicated batting cages, and stadium seating to give every player a true Big-League experience. It has hosted the Javanon Cup, historically, the premier soccer tournament in Kentucky and the EFC Spring Invitational, which draws teams from Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and beyond.

Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau

Major League Fishing is the world’s largest tournament fishing organization and premier outdoor entertainment brand. The MLF’s Bass Pro Tour, which showcases 65 of the world’s top professional bass anglers competing for millions of dollars, including the sport’s top award of $150,000 at every regular-season event, will host an event at Kentucky Lake from June 5-8, 2025.

Featuring more than 2,300 miles of shoreline and over 160,000 acres of water. Kentucky Lake is a sizable body of water, and has plenty of room for visitors to fish, enjoying watersports or exploring in a boat.

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Kentucky Venues

Kentucky Venues serves regional, national and international clients while promoting the progress of the Commonwealth and advancing Kentucky’s agriculture and tourism industries and economy. Kentucky Venues produces six signature events that bring those from around the world to Kentucky. These events include the Kentucky State Fair, World’s Championship Horse Show, National Farm Machinery Show, Championship Tractor Pull, North American International Livestock Exposition and the North American Championship Rodeo.

Two of Kentucky Venues’ top facilities are the Kentucky International Convention Center (located at the center of downtown Louisville, the Kentucky International Convention Center is a top-tier convention center with state-of-the-art design and technology) and the Kentucky Exposition Center (which offers 1.2 million square feet of contiguous meeting space to serve events large and small).

Lexington

Lexington’s Keeneland Race Course has hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championship, an annual series of major thoroughbred horse races. Keeneland most recently held the Breeders’ Cup in 2022, 2019 and 2015.

The city is also home to the University of Kentucky, whose men’s basketball team has won eight national championships, second all-time behind only UCLA. The Kentucky campus has also hosted a variety of events, including the NCAA East Regional Outdoor Track & Field Championships and the NCAA Baseball Regionals & Super Regionals. Not to be forgotten, Lexington’s Kentucky Horse Park will hold the 2025 World Championships of Colt Starting, where competitors will compete for their share of $125,000 in cash and prizes.

London/Laurel County CVB

Whether you are looking for high speed races at the London Dragway, endurance adventure races in the Daniel Boone National Forest or the perfect location for cycling, Laurel County has a variety of venues to suit your needs. Events like the Archery Shooters Association, Kayak Bass Fishing and War Hammer 100 are just a few events that call London, Kentucky home.

Louisville

The Kentucky Derby is one of the most famous events in sports. The race kicks off the Triple Crown series with Churchill Downs hosting the iconic race for horses aged three. The Derby is one of the oldest ongoing sporting events in the country with the first race taking place in 1875. It is the most attended horse racing event in the United States, and it is one of the most bet on in the country, with hundreds of millions betted every year. The 2024 Derby was branded the 150^th Kentucky Derby and a record $210.7 million was bet on the race.

Louisville also hosted the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club, which has also hosted the Ryder Cup, three other PGA Championships and two Senior PGA Championships.

Other major events in Louisville include the Run 4 The Roses (the largest youth girls exposure basketball tournament in the world with more than 2,700 teams and 88 basketball courts under one roof), the JVA World Challenge, and the Women’s Cup, featuring international teams like Juventus, Palmeiras, Colo Colo competing against Racing Louisville FC, Louisville’s women’s soccer club.

Madisonville – Hopkins County

Located on I-69 in the heart of western Kentucky, Madisonville and Hopkins County are home to the new Madisonville Hopkins County Sportsplex that boasts the largest single surface hardwood floor in the state of Kentucky. This 90,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility features an indoor turf soccer field, batting cages, six basketball courts, 12 volleyball courts and 22 pickleball courts. The West Kentucky Archery Complex contains 56 NFAA indoor shooting lanes plus a 90-meter outdoor range. This facility hosted the 2024 USA Archery Indoor Nationals and JOAD Indoor Nationals and the Mid-South Collegiate Indoor Archery Championship.

Paducah CVB

With diverse sports facilities and successfully hosted events from the club level to collegiate and professional, Paducah is a perfect tournament destination. Local venues have played host to a variety of events and tournaments from the National Retriever Championships and Cabela’s King Kat Tournament Trail to NCAA Conference Baseball, Golf and Tennis Championships to USA Water Ski Competitions and AKC Dog Agility Trials.

Visit Hopkinsville

Hopkinsville is a prime destination for hosting sporting events of all types and sizes. From state-of-the-art facilities to vibrant local culture, Hopkinsville provides everything needed to create an unforgettable sporting experience.

Hopkinsville is home to top-notch sports facilities designed to cater to a wide range of sporting events. The Planters Bank-Jennie Stuart Health Sportsplex offers a premier venue with over 54,000 square feet of space, featuring multiple courts for basketball, volleyball and soccer. The Sportsplex also provides ample seating, modern locker rooms, and advanced lighting and sound systems, ensuring athletes and spectators have a first-class experience.