Midland to host ISC World Tournament
By Dan Chalk
of the Daily News
Published: Friday, March 13, 2009 11:03 PM EDTMore than $2 million of potential revenue pouring into the local economy.
Up to 80 men’s fastpitch softball teams staying in the Midland area for the course of a week, and up to 20,000 spectators visiting the city over that time.
Twenty nine jobs to be created locally.
It all adds up to one big economic ray of sunshine headed this way in August of 2010, when the Midland Explorers Booster Club is set to host the International Softball Congress World Tournament and two other concurrent tournaments at Emerson Park and Redcoats Fields.
While the contract is not yet signed, organizing committee co-chairman Kyle Beane said no other city has put in a bid for the tournament, and it’s just a matter of working out contract details with ISC officials.
“There is a mutual agreement between the Explorers Booster Club and the ISC that Midland will be the host in 2010,” said Beane, who also plays for the Midland Explorers men’s fastpitch team. “We’ve got contract details to work out that will be taken care of in the next couple of weeks.”
The ISC World Tournament will feature either 24 or 32 of the best men’s fastpitch teams from around the world. The concurrent ISC II Tournament of Champions will have about 40 fastpitch teams that are just a notch below those in the World Tournament; and the 19-and-under ISC Youth Tournament will draw eight to 12 youth teams from around the world.
Fans will come in large numbers from Ontario, Beane predicted.
“We think a lot of fans are going to come from Ontario, which is still a hotbed for fastpitch,” he said.
Beane is thrilled at the prospect of having the event in Midland, which last hosted a world fastpitch tournament in 1984 and 1996.
“It’s a great feeling, because it’s something that a lot of people have wanted to see,” he said. “We know what kind of venue we’ve got, one of the best in the country. I think a lot of people are going to be really excited that this tournament is finally going to come to Midland.”
The tentative dates for the tournaments are Aug. 14-21, 2010, Beane said. The 2009 tournament is in Quad Cities.
Beane said that after researching and consulting with Jim Peckrul of the Midland County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the organizing committee came up with a figure of $2.35 million as the economic impact of the tournaments.
Beane’s fellow committee co-chairman Dave Lach said the committee determined that the visitors and convention bureau would receive about $9,000 from the 2 percent local tax on lodging during the tournament.
A portion of any profit generated from the tournament will go to the Explorers Booster Club, but most of the profit will go to local teams, leagues, parks and other worthwhile groups as determined by the committee, Lach said.
Beane said the committee of about 25 members also includes softball notables Marty McGuire, Laura Currie, Pete Finn, Jeff Servinski, Gregg Sauve and Jack Starling, among others.
Lach said about 100 more volunteers will be needed to plan and run the tournament.
Lach said the committee is setting out to raise about $25,000 to meet expenses for the tournament, which include paying the city for the use of the fields.
Beane said the committee has already done a lot of planning over the past few months.
“We’ve got logos designed, we’re working on a website. A lot of work is already done; now it’s just time to start executing the plan,” Beane said.
Lach expects that the cost of admission to tournament games will be about $8 per fan per day, and about $20 per fan for the entire tournament.
He said that spectators will also receive coupons for area businesses with their admission tickets.
