Venerable organization continues to attract big events to Pennsylvania
By Jason Paha
For more great sports stories, visit SportsPlanningGuide.com
Back in 2005, five sports tourism leaders gathered in Pennsylvania. Their objective was to form a group to help sports commissions and destination marketing organizations in Pennsylvania maneuver through the early days of the sports tourism industry.
These five members, Happy Valley, Hershey, Reading, Valley Forge and York, formed an organization known as Ready, Set, Go! Little did they know 20 years later, the group they created would become an influential sports tourism powerhouse.
“(2005) was a long time ago in terms of the industry itself,” said Gregg Cook, past chair of PA Sports and executive director of the Hershey Harrisburg Sports & Events Authority. “At the time, we couldn’t have imagined the growth of all aspects of the sports tourism industry. We were always hopeful that we could continue to grow and prosper and have a presence.”
Grow and prosper, they did.
From a humble beginning, a sports leader emerges
This year, PA Sports (formerly Ready, Set, Go!), is the lead agency for sports tourism in Pennsylvania and is celebrating its 20th anniversary. PA Sports has grown to 13 members from across the Commonwealth: Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau, Chester County Tourism, Discover Lehigh Valley, Erie Sports Commission, Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance, Hershey Harrisburg Sports & Events Authority, PHL Sports, Sport York, SportsPITTSBURGH, Valley Forge Sports, Visit Delco, Visit Johnstown and VM Sports. It is recognized as one of the premier sports organizations in the country and is renowned for how well the members mesh with one another.
“The ultimate goal of PA Sports is to attract as many tourism driving sporting events to Pennsylvania as possible,” said PA Sports Chair Mark Jeanneret, who is also executive director of the Erie Sports Commission. “While many of our members are competing for many of the same events, the collective goal of the group is to help one another have a positive impact on our respective communities.”
For more great sports stories, visit SportsPlanningGuide.com
“The way our group has continued to work together is impressive,” Cook added. “In a baseball dugout, typically, there’s going to be a few people that won’t get along. We are 13 destinations and we’ve been able to make it work without any significant personal issues. Everybody is on board with the team concept. Everything is for the good of the group.”
Big events come to Pennsylvania
PA Sports’ mission is to attract and host international, national, regional and local sporting events and showcase Pennsylvania as a viable sports event destination for professional, collegiate, interscholastic, amateur and youth sporting ventures. And it has done so to a successful degree that would surprise the 2005 members of Ready, Set, Go!
In 2023, the 13 members of PA Sports combined to host/support more than 460 events generating $480 million in estimated economic impact to Pennsylvania. Among some of the sizable events PA Sports members have helped attract in 2024 alone include Wrestlemania XL in Philadelphia, the IRONMAN 70.3 in Happy Valley, the Special Olympics North America Softball Championships in Pittsburgh, the YMCA 2024 Gymnastics Nationals & Invitational in Valley Forge, the All American Amateur Baseball Association National Tournament in Johnstown and the IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship in Erie.
What a difference 20 years makes.
“Back when we started, the big (organization everyone wanted to replicate) was Sports Illinois,” Cook said. “We were striving to have the visibility and positive perception that Sports Illinois had at that time, and I think we’ve been able to do that. We’ve gotten to the upper echelon of big sports groups where people know us, recognize us and see us at all the shows. When we go to the show now, we go to the show as Pennsylvania.”
PA Sports has proven the economic impact from sports tourism has value that extends beyond the actual competition. The state has long been a popular travel destination and extending tourism beyond the events is a significant part of the PA Sports mission. Athletes, their families, coaches and officials all contribute to Pennsylvania’s local and state economies.
“Funding was the biggest obstacle for us (at the start),” Cook said. “We all had great ideas of the things we’d like to do. But to make an impact, to be visible, noticeable and relevant in most cases, especially in the early days, individual bureaus did not have the funding in their budget dedicated to sports that allowed us to do what we wanted to do. We had to use smoke and mirrors sometimes, but we were able to make it work somehow. Finally, after years of hard work and the success we had, most of our members have seen increased budgets along the way. We were able to prove to the state tourism office the reality of what we’ve accomplished.
“They’ve taken notice and invested in us.”
And that figures to continue for the next 20 years and beyond.
Let your games begin at sportsinpa.com.
