Jacksonville’s reputation as a destination for marquee sports events will grow in 2016, with a high-profile college football game, a major conference basketball tournament and the national championship of a sport that’s not associated with Florida.
The Duval County Tourist Development Council approved a $125,000 grant for the Navy vs. Notre Dame football game scheduled Nov. 5, 2016.
The amount was half of the $250,000 sought by Gator Bowl Sports Events to supplement the payouts to the teams. The remaining $125,000 will be considered later.
The game is expected to attract as many as 25,000 Notre Dame fans and 15,000 Navy fans from outside Duval County, said Jacksonville Sports Council CEO Rick Catlett.
The game will be played the Saturday after the Florida vs. Georgia game and at the beginning of the city’s annual Week of Valor that each November salutes the armed forces.
The council approved a $100,000 grant for marketing and a portion of the venue rental for the Southeastern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament March 1-6 at Veterans Memorial Arena.
Sports council Executive Director Alan Verlander said 14 teams, plus school officials and fans, are expected to book as many as 8,000 hotel room nights for the tournament, scheduled March 1-6.
The event also will contribute to the council’s work toward more gender diversity in sports. This is the first time the tournament has been in Jacksonville, Verlander said. “It’s time, as a city, that we focus on great women’s sports events,” he said.
The tournament will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and the SEC Network.
The USA Curling National Championship, scheduled Feb. 6-13 at the arena, received a $15,000 grant to offset the cost of renting the venue.
Curling is a sport in which competitors slide 42-pound granite stones across a sheet of ice toward a target while a teammate uses a broom to vigorously sweep the ice ahead of the stone.
“It’s a nontraditional sport for Northeast Florida,” said Dave Herrell, manager of the city Office of Sports & Entertainment.
“It will put us on the national map from a curling standpoint,” Herrell said.
As many as 2,000 hotel room nights could be booked during the event, based on the number of USA Curling officials, competitors and fans expected to travel to Jacksonville from northern states.
The council also approved grants for the Jan. 2 TaxSlayer Bowl ($420,000) and the Oct. 29 Florida vs. Georgia game ($60,000).
Two events next year at Sea Walk Pavilion at Jacksonville Beach received support from the tourism council.
Beaches Oktoberfest, scheduled Oct. 16-18, received $20,000 for regional advertising and promotion, defined by the council as 50 or more miles outside the Jacksonville market.
The third edition of the Lanadoo Jacksonville Celtic Festival, scheduled Nov. 14-15 at the pavilion, also received $20,000 for regional marketing.
Event President Keith Doherty said the festival will feature traditional Scottish and Celtic competitions including the caber toss, which he described as “a man throwing a telegraph pole” for distance.
“It’s the only Highland games in the United States held on the ocean,” Doherty said.
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