Monthly Partner Update - October, 2017

Upcoming Events Sporting Events Bring Visitors to Florida in October

The FSF has awarded grants to 13 sports events in Florida during the month of October 14-November 18, October that will bring over 60,000 out of state visitors and more than $37 million 2017 in economic impact to the state. Sunshine State Games Sport Shooting The 13 events represent 10 different sports and will be held in eight different Championship Events Florida communities. Various Florida Locations

October 31, 2017 FSF Grants Workshop Amalie Arena, Tampa

November 4-5, 2017 Sunshine State Games Lacrosse Fall Classic Dick Bird-South County Park, Vero Beach The 2017 World Rowing Championships, which concluded on October 2, brought athletes from 70 different locations worldwide to Nathan Benderson Park. The November 9-10, 2017 World Rowing Championships are considered to be the largest rowing event FSF Quarterly Board of worldwide outside of the Olympic Games. The event brought over $25 million to Directors Meeting the area during the week-long event and it was broadcast daily on the NBCSports Orlando City Soccer Network. Stadium, Orlando

December 2-10, 2017 Florida Senior Games Various Clearwater and 2018 NHL All Star Game Logo Unveiled for Game in Tampa Pinellas County Locations

The 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game, to be held in FSF Sponsors Tampa’s Amalie Arena, revealed its logo during a Tampa Bay Lightning preseason game against the Nashville Predators. Festivities will take place at AMALIE Arena on January 27-28 and will include the NHL All-Star Skills Competition™ and the Honda NHL® All-Star Game, respectively.

“The 2018 NHL All-Star Weekend in Tampa Bay, Florida pairs pristine beaches and an energetic, lively city with the speed and excitement of NHL Hockey making it a perfect destination for the mid-season celebration,” said Brian Jennings, NHL Chief Branding Officer and Executive Vice President.

2017 Florida Sports Hall of Fame Class Announced

A former NFL “Man of the Year,” a future Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, a Heisman Trophy recipient, and a man credited with taking the PGA to new levels of popularity and profitability highlight the 2017 Florida Sports Hall of Fame (FSHOF) Class.

Selected for induction were former FSU and NFL star running back Warrick Dunn, perennial Atlanta Braves all-star Larry “Chipper” Jones, University of Florida Heisman Trophy and multi-sport icon Tim Tebow, and former PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem. Colleen Walker, a former Florida State and LPGA star, will also be inducted posthumously. Florida Sports Foundation The induction ceremony will take place on Wednesday, November 8 at the A Division of Enterprise Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort and Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL with a portion Florida, Inc. of the event proceeds benefitting hurricane and flood relief in Florida. 101 North Monroe Street Suite 1000 Tallahassee, FL 32301 (850) 488-8347 Taxslayer Bowl to Honor Military Heroes Clearwater Satellite Office TaxSlayer, an online and professional tax and financial services technology 1501 N. Belcher Road, #238 company and title sponsor of the TaxSlayer Bowl, announced the “Honoring Our Clearwater, FL 33761 Heroes Program,” designed as a thank you to military members and their families. (727) 724-3082 The program, which will operate in conjunction with the company’s annual marquee event, the TaxSlayer Bowl, will provide military heroes and their families www.flasports.com with a complete game day experience. Through the program, TaxSlayer will provide 5,000 heroes with a complimentary ticket to the 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl on December 30th, 2017, including a post-game concert at the stadium’s new event amphitheater, Daily’s Place.

This year’s 72nd Annual Taxslayer Bowl, at EverBank Field, will feature a Southeastern Conference team against a team from the Atlantic Coast or Big Ten Conference or Notre Dame.

Two Florida Pro Sports Plates Among Leaders in Specialty Plate Sales Increase

August saw a decent increase in specialty plate sales and biennial revenue, According to the latest statistics received from the Department.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers license plate was ranked third among increases in Top New Plate Issuances for August 2017 with 693 new plates issued. The Miami Heat license plate was fifth among Top Total Net Revenue for August 2017 with an increase of over $80,000.

Overall August 2017 specialty license plate sales brought in $2,736,615.00, compared to $2,657,860.00 in August 2016. An increase of $78,755.00; nearly a 3% increase. New plate issuances increased from 17,194 to 17,989 and renewals increased from 97,908 to 100,172.

Orange County, Sports Leaders Prep for 2018 Pro Bowl Bid

The National Football League season is back and Central Florida's powers-that-be are thinking of how to keep football fans coming to Orlando.

Local sports leaders and Orange County officials have started funding agreement discussions for the region to bid for the 2018 NFL Pro Bowl game — an event that can draw more than $45 million in economic impact. The NFL announced in July it will come back to Orlando, but the success of each game in Orlando could encourage a long-term commitment to Central Florida and lock down huge annual economic impact.

NFL Pro Bowl week includes the game and other events. Last year's Pro Bowl, held partially at the ESPN Wide World of Sports and Camping World Stadium, was a big success and included more than 25 events, drew 53,000 fans and gave the region huge television exposure. Orlando's appeal to sports events is due to good weather, a good travel infrastructure and an abundance of hotel rooms. Sports draw tourists to the region, provide marketing exposure and add to the quality of life for citizens.

Record-Breaking Sports Year in Palm Beach County

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission’s portfolio of sports events created a record-breaking year for sports tourism in The Palm Beaches. The Sports Commission hosted 162 sporting events, which produced 222,528 room nights derived from hotels, motels, and vacation rentals in Palm Beach County. Sports- related room nights experienced a 9% increase, year over year. Sports related room nights in Palm Beach County grew by 21% (38,632 room nights) over the last two years and by 35% (57,346) over the last five years.

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission’s portfolio of 162 events represents more than 40 different sports. This demonstrates the diverse sports facilities and venues of Palm Beach County. In addition to room nights, the 162 sports events created a tremendous level of visitor spending. In total, sports tourism generating events contributed to well over $300 million of direct visitor spending for The Palm Beaches.

Plenty of Opportunities on October Florida Pro Sports Calendar

Eight of Florida’s 10 professional teams combine for 31 home dates during the month of October. With the start of the 2017-18 NHL season, the Tampa Bay Lightning will play seven home games at the Amalie Arena in Downtown Tampa. The Florida Panthers have six home dates at the BB&T Center in Sunrise.

The month of October is split between pre- and regular-season games for the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic. The Heat host two early October pre-season games at American Airlines Arena and play five regular season home games between October 21-30. The Magic have three pre-season games and three- regular season home games beginning October 18 with a game against Miami.

The Miami Dolphins have two home games at Hard Rock Stadium, while the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Orlando City Soccer each have one home game in October.

Florida College Teams Abound in Fall Sports National Rankings

Three Florida college football teams enter the month of October with undefeated records and four teams are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Find out more about Florida’s three NFL and 18 college football teams along with Florida’s eight college football bowl games at Florida Football Central.

On the volleyball courts the Florida Gators are ranked second in the AVCA Coaches Poll with an 11-0 record while Palm Beach Atlantic is ranked fourth and Saint Leo is 19th in the Division II Poll.

In the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Poll, the Florida State Seminoles are currently ranked 14th while the Florida Gators are 15th. In the Division II Women's Poll, Flagler College is ranked fifth and Nova Southeastern checks in at 13. In the Men's Soccer Division II Poll, Palm Beach Atlantic is eights, Rollins is 17th and Florida Tech is 23rd.

SSG International Beach Games Bring Amateur Sports to Clearwater Beach

In a multi-sport event unlike any other in the State of Florida, the 2017 Sunshine State Games (SSG) International Beach Games had Beach Tennis Balls and Ultimate Discs flying through the air on Clearwater Beach. Meanwhile, heavy weights were thrown and lifted both inside and outside of the Sheraton Sand Key Resort.

Nearly 400 amateur athletes from all over the world including; Italy, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico and the Czech Republic. A total of 15 states were represented and athletes from 50 Florida cities made their way to Clearwater Beach for the SSG International Beach Games.

In what was definitely a first in the 38-year history of the Sunshine State Games, Pitchforks and portions of trees were used as implements in Scottish Heavy Athletics. The pitchforks were used in the Sheaf Toss to propel a weighted bag over a bar placed 10 feet up and higher. The trees were hoisted by athletes in the Caber Throw, the final event of the competition.

Florida Senior Games Countdown to Clearwater

In just over 50 days, the 26th Annual Florida Senior Games will begin in Clearwater. Over 2,000 athletes, age 50 and over, are expected to compete in 24 sports, December 2-10, 2017.

Registration is now open and athletes can choose from three different methods to compete in the 2017 Games. Online registration is available at www.floridaseniorgames.com or prospective athletes can download and print registration forms and return them to the Florida Sports Foundation. Finally, 2017 Florida Senior Games Registration Books have been mailed to all past competitors and athletes who qualified in 2017 Florida Senior Games Series Qualifiers. Registration fees vary by sport and the online registration deadline is November 19.

During October and November, Florida Senior Games Series Qualifiers will be held in Gainesville, Cutler Bay, the Tampa Bay area, Martin County and Seminole County.

The Last Word: All the information needed to compete in the 2017 Florida Senior Games can be found by clicking the cover of the 2017 FSG Registration Book below. Learn more about all of the sports and everything needed to know for competition and registration.

See You Next Month!