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A U G U S T A S P O R T S C O U N C I L W W W . A U G U S T A S P O R T S C O U N C I L . O R G ( 7 0 6 ) 7 2 2 - 8 3 2 6 I N F O @ A U G U S T A S P O R T S C O U N C I L . O R G

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A L E T T E R F R O M O U R C E O

Friends of the Augusta Sports Council,

The mission of the Augusta Sports Council (ASC) is to enrich the quality of life and economic well-being for the Augusta metropolitan area by supporting and attracting sporting activities. The Covid-19 year of 2020 certainly challenged our abilities to fulfill this mission at the same level as previous years, but it did provide us with valuable experience and will present us with new opportunities. While the pandemic and resulting quarantine devastated the events industry and crippled many of our sports tourism peers, the ASC emerged in a financially healthy and strong position, which sets us up very well for the future.

The estimated economic impact (EEI) of sports events we serviced in 2020 totaled $2,951,456, a 85.3% reduction from our 2019 EEI of $20,019,072. Needless to say, sports tourism and the ASC are a vital part of our community’s economy. Our highest contributing events in 2020 in terms of EEI included the Augusta University Half Marathon, 10K & 5K, the Aiken- Augusta Swim League’s Winter Invitational, and the Augusta Cutting Horse Futurity. While higher profile annual events like the EYBL Nike Peach Jam Basketball tournament, USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championship, and IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta had to be cancelled due to community health and safety concerns, these events will return, and we were successful in landing a new grass volleyball series that will be returning to our area.

We were proud to recognize our local athletes with two annual awards ceremonies, the All-CSRA Football Banquet in January and the GAMES Scholarship Program in the spring, where fourteen $1000 scholarships were awarded. Nationally, we were recognized as we presented the Award to the top collegiate in the country on the Home Depot Awards Show on ESPN. The award also made a cameo appearance on ESPN’s College Game Day, live from Augusta National Golf Club.

Our success as an organization is only possible through the support of community business partners, a volunteer base of over 2,000 selfless individuals and a dedicated staff and board of directors. As we plan for sporting events in the coming years, we are equally excited about the growth and excitement currently taking place in Augusta’s River Region. We look forward to continuing our service to the Augusta River Region and cannot wait to see what the future holds. Thank you all again for your support of the Augusta Sports Council.

Best Regards,

Brian Graham CEO of the Augusta Sports Council P A G E 0 3

E S T I M A T E D E C O N O M I C I M P A C T

2 0 2 0 E S T I M A T E D E C O N O M I C I M P A C T S A M P L I N G

Augusta University Half Marathon - $629,624.26 41st Annual Augusta Futurity - $2,024,324.54 War in the Gardens Basketball Tournament - $149,688.35 Martial Arts Southeast Regional Taekwondo Competition - $34,549.84

$ 2 , 9 5 1 , 4 5 6 . 5 5 * * 2 0 2 0 E S T I M A T E D E C O N O M I C I M P A C T

*Total Estimated Economic Impact (EEI), the sum of all the direct, indirect and induced spending estimates, is calculated based on research commissioned by both the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) and Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) in conjunction with globally recognized research vendors, the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics. Tourism Economics, a partner company of Oxford Economics, created the industry standard in event economic impact analysis using localized metrics that are updated annually P A G E 0 4

A L L C S R A F O O T B A L L A W A R D S S H O W

In January of 2020, and in partnership with WJBF, the Augusta Sports Council hosted the All-CSRA Football Banquet at the Columbia County 2020 Winners Convention Center. The event was a culmination of a banquet and a live 60-minute broadcast naming the All-CSRA Player of the Year: Dashawn ALL-CSRA Football Team. The All-CSRA High School Watson - Football Team is annually made up of the very best high $1,000 scholarship presented by the school football players in the area. Only the very best at Augusta Sports Council their position, are selected to this team. Each player selected to this team received an All-CSRA Football All-CSRA Offensive Player of the Year: Team ring from WJBF-TV and Jostens.The Augusta Caleb Mancel Eichelberger - Sports Council, home of the Ray Guy $1,000 scholarship presented by Award presented annually to the top FBS collegiate punter, presented the All-CSRA High School Punter of All-CSRA Defensive Player of the Year: the Year Award at the event to Judson Pickett from Kaleb Shaw - Academy of Richmond County with a $1,000 scholarship $1,000 scholarship presented by presented by F.L. Russell Group. Hall of Fame punter Ray Guy's son, Ryan Guy, was there to present the award, All-CSRA Coach of the Year: along with , of the University of Kentucky, this year's recipient of the Ray Guy Award. P A G E 0 4

G E O R G I A S P O R T S A N N U A L M E E T I N G

This year, the Augusta Sports Council hosted the Georgia Sports Annual Meeting at the Hyatt House in downtown Augusta. Georgia Sports is a membership-based marketing and tourism collaborative among several sports- friendly communities, which offer a full menu of management services to the event owner. Georgia Sports partners fill many roles, such as serving as an LOC (local organizing committee), providing fiscal guidance and volunteer recruitment. P A G E 0 5

G . A . M . E . S S C H O L A R S H I P P R O G R A M

The GAMES Scholarship began in 2011 as part of the Augusta Sports Council’s annual G.A.M.E.S. Awards which was an annual program created to highlight outstanding amateur athletes who represented a broad spectrum of sports disciplines in the area. To date, the Augusta Sports Council has awarded over $48,000 in college scholarships to 38 graduating high school student athletes in the Augusta community.

Desmond Beale , Jefferson County High School (Georgia Tech) Mason Boswell, Edmund Burke Academy (Georgia Southern) Cori Brown, A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School (Augusta University) Sean "Mickey" Burke, Aquinas High School (Jacksonville University) Katy Earwood, Evans High School (Georgia Tech) Jamie Lester, Briarwood Academy (Oglethorpe) Kaylee Morris, North Augusta High School (Clemson) Brycen Patterson, Strom Thurmond High School (Clemson) Harper Puckett, Midland Valley High School (Clemson) Hailey Sparks, Lucy Craft Laney High School (Charleston Southern) P A G E 0 6

A U G U S T A U N I V E R S I T Y H A L F M A R A T H O N / 1 0 K / 5 K

EEI - $629,624.26 Total Registered Runners - 1548 Half Marathon - 745 10K - 411 5K - 392

Special Thanks to - Georgia Department of Transportation, Augusta Traffic & Engineering, Augusta Richmond County Fire Department, CSX, Portable Services, Inc., Richmond County Sheriff’s Department, Fort Gordon, Center Stage Dance Academy. P A G E 0 6

C O M M U N I T Y I N V O L V E M E N T

This year was challenging for so many this year, but if there was anything to take away, it was how important it is to care for your neighbor. In March of 2020, we teamed up with our friends at IRONMAN to donate snacks and bottled drinks to our local hospitals to serve those working on the frontlines of COVID- 19. In June of 2020, we donated canned goods and other non-perishables to the Augusta University Paws Pantry, a free food and necessities supply for students in need on the AU campus. Though this year was unlike any other, what could never change is our love for, and our desire to leave a positive impact on the Augusta community. P A G E 0 6

A N U P D A T E D O N L I N E P R E S E N C E

The staff of the Augusta Sports Council is responsible for managing, maintaining and updating 3 websites: The Augusta Sports Council's main site, The Ray Guy Award site, and the Augusta University Half Marathon/10K/5K site. This year marked the launch of the redesign of each of these sites, which included a refreshed look, simpler navigation, and updated content. The sites have experienced much traffic throughout 2020, and will continue to be maintained and updated in the years to come. P A G E 0 7 C E L E B R A T I N G 2 0 Y E A R S O F T H E R A Y G U Y A W A R D

This year marked the 20th Anniversary of the Ray Guy Award - named for football's premier punter - which honors the nation's best collegiate punter. The Augusta Sports Council created the award in 2000. Along with awards such as the and the , the Ray Guy Award honors an important member of any football team. This year, the award was presented on the Home Depot College Football Awards Show, which was held virtually and filmed in Bristol. The winner of the 2020 Ray Guy Award is Pressley Harvin of Georgia Tech.

In addition to its usual appearance on the Home Depot College Football Awards Show, the Ray Guy Award was also featured on ESPN's College Game Day during the 2020 Masters Week held in November. The segment discussed the history of the award in Augusta as well as Ray Guy's impressive career and contributions to the sport of football. P A G E 0 9

B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S A N D S T A F F

Board of Directors Chairman: Bob Evans, M-Communications Vice Chairman: Charlie Walker, Modern Business Systems Secretary: Michael Ash, Community Volunteer Treasurer: Yvonne Davis, State Bank & Trust Company Immediate Past Chairman: Chris Lewis, Cherry Bekaert Governance Committee Chairman: Davis Dunnaway, Hull Barrett Community Affairs and Marketing Chairman: Brian Marshall, Columbia County Events Committee Chairman: Tom Denlinger, Augusta Greenjackets Michael Ash- Community Volunteer, Bennish Brown- Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau, Dave Brunk - Peach Belt Conference Commissioner, David Bullington- Queensborough National Bank & Trust, Katie Cason - Spectra Venue Management JBA, Yvonne Davis - Cadence Bank, Tom Denlinger - Augusta GreenJackets, Davis Dunaway - Hull Barrett Attorneys, Chris Lewis- Cherry Bekaert, Brian Marshall - Columbia County Board of Commissioners, Stacie McBride - Wier/Stewart, Tim McLane - Augusta University Sports Medicine, Glenn Parker - Augusta Recreation & Parks Department, Donald Shapiro - Hartley's Uniforms, John Smith - Gold Cross EMS, Neil Smith - Fort Gordon MWR, Charlie Walker - Modern Business Systems, Cathy Wall - The Bradley Schools, John Whitwell - Merrill Lynch

Staff Brian Graham - CEO Michelle Naval - Operations Manager Monica Martinez-Canty - Events Coordinator Savanna Gonzales - Marketing Coordinator Anthony Mounzer - Intern