Henrico County sets eyes on potentially hosting NCAA tournaments in future after construction of new facilities

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — With the current development of the Dorey Baseball Stadium and construction starting on a new sporting activities and functions center, Henrico County is looking ahead to solidifying its sports activities tourism within the Richmond area.

Previous yr, Henrico County’s sporting activities tourism introduced in virtually $60 million, according to the county. It hopes to thrust this determine even bigger immediately after a short while ago setting up the Henrico Sports activities and Enjoyment Authority.

The county’s new baseball stadium, Dorey Baseball Stadium, is set to not only provide the area community but also groups from across the area and country for baseball and softball tournaments.

Other tournaments the county also wishes to raise in internet hosting are soccer and lacrosse.

The ambition does not quit right here as construction is underway for the Henrico County Sporting activities and Activities Centre. The project will be done in the fall of 2023. The location will host basketball tournaments, graduation ceremonies and potentially live shows.

“Our prospect to provide sporting activities tourism occasions, to carry in a amount of people who are coming from all more than, which is driving hotel place evenings, ingesting in our restaurants [and] purchasing in our retail suppliers,” Dennis Bickmeier, Henrico Sporting activities and Entertainment Authority director, reported. “It’s a acquire for the neighborhood from an economic impression standpoint.”

Bickmeier also hopes for the new center to a single working day get to a position wherever it will be equipped to host big situations such as NCAA basketball championships and United states of america gymnastics competitions.

“[With] a facility as major as an arena, that gets us into conversations with the NCAA, you start out contemplating about men’s and women’s basketball championships. You start out considering about conversations with countrywide governing bodies, maybe Usa gymnastics,” Bickmeier explained.

For a lot more on Henrico County’s new services, you can see its update below.