PA Sports, the lead agency for sports tourism in Pennsylvania, is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024.
The organization was formed in 2005 to assist sports commissions and destination marketing organizations in Pennsylvania navigate through the early days of the sports tourism industry. Utilizing the Regional Marketing Initiative program provided by the PA Department of Tourism, the initial members (Happy Valley, Hershey, Reading, Valley Forge, and York) formed the first version of the organization known as Ready, Set, Go! PA Sports.
“We had all attended the conferences and trade shows independently and thought it would make sense and we could have more of an impact if we worked together,” says Gregg Cook, past chair of PA Sports and executive director of the Hershey Harrisburg Sports & Events Authority. “We quickly made our mark, and more Pennsylvania destinations expressed interest and joined the group. Once we got our major markets of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh on board, we felt we were ready to take it to the next level in the sports tourism industry. That’s where we find ourselves today, as one of the leaders among state organizations in sports tourism nationwide.”
Today, PA Sports is made up of 13 members from across the state. Current members are Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau, Chester County Tourism, Discover Lehigh Valley, Erie Sports Commission, Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance, Hershey Harrisburg Sports & Events Authority, PHL Sports, Sport York, SportsPITTSBURGH, Valley Forge Sports, Visit Luzerne, Visit Johnstown and VM Sports.
“The ultimate goal of PA Sports is to attract as many tourism-driving sporting events to Pennsylvania as possible,” says PA Sports Chair Mark Jeanneret, who is also executive director of the Erie Sports Commission. “While many of our members are competing for many of the same events, the collective goal of the group is to help one another have a positive impact on our respective communities.”
In 2023, the 13 members of PA Sports combined to host/support more than 460 events generating $480 million in estimated economic impact to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
