Hudson’s Jacob Pickford wrestles St. Louis’ Josh Dew during the MHSAA wrestling team finals at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com
KALAMAZOO, MI — Records were set on and off the courts, fields, ice and wrestling mats in 2024 as Discover Kalamazoo Sports hosted more than 50 sporting events over the year.
The organization announced the events resulted in an all-time record of $30.3 million in estimated direct visitor spending, according to a Tuesday, March 18 news release.
The economic impact was made possible through the more than 38,000 youth, amateur, college and professional athletes that competed in sports events and tournaments in the Kalamazoo area in 2024.
Those athletes, along with their families, friends and fans, contributed to the region’s local economy by paying for lodging, transportation, food and beverage, retail, recreation, space rental and other business services.
The organization stated it continues to punch above its weight class in sports such as ice hockey, figure skating, wrestling and tennis. Those four sports accounted for 53% of Discover Kalamazoo Sports room nights in 2024.
In an attempt to drive that impact higher, the organization is planning a $40 million basketball and volleyball facility.
RELATED: Filling a void: Why a $40M youth sports complex is planned for Kalamazoo County
Among the notable sports events held in Kalamazoo in 2024 were:
Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, Kalamazoo has several new and returning events on the horizon, including:
The Kalamazoo Gazette/MLive now offers free email news alerts. Click here to sign up for alerts or for the daily “3@3 Kalamazoo” roundup of news. Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page here.
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