Volleyball tournament will generate $60M in metro, officials say
Minneapolis city officials say a national girls' volleyball tournament scheduled for 2014 will generate $60 million in economic activity across the metropolitan area.
The USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships will play its eight-day tournament at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
The event's sponsors say the annual competition draws nearly 10,000 athletes and 20,000 spectators.
Melvin Tennant, president and CEO of Meet Minneapolis, said the tournament will be a particular boost to the hospitality industry.
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"It's really about jobs and people making their living within this industry," he said. "It's outstanding for our community."
Kristy Cox, event manager for USA Volleyball, said the event will include teams from 39 states.
"The 30,000 people who will visit from across the U.S. and some foreign countries will be returning home to share their Minneapolis experiences with friends and relatives," Cox said. "We're really looking forward to bringing our players, fans and families to Minneapolis in June of 2014."
Minneapolis hosted the championships previously in 2007 and several other amateur volleyball tournaments over the last 10 years.
Tennant said the city is still working with the Minnesota Twins to try to get Major League Baseball to host the 2014 All-Star game at Target Field.
