Mobile, Ala. Awarded Prestigious Women’s Bowling Tournament

Feb 27th, 2013

MOBILE, Ala. (February 27, 2013) – The Mobile Sports Authority and the Mobile Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau jointly announce today that the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) has awarded Mobile their 2021 USBC Women’s Championships.  This national bowling tournament will be held in the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center over a four-month period, between April and July 2021, and is expected to attract more than 30,000 out-of-town bowlers to the Mobile area.  To accommodate the tournament, the USBC will build a 48-lane bowling facility using both exhibit halls of the Convention Center.  The tournament is considered one of the largest participatory women’s sports events in the world and is estimated to generate an economic impact of over $40 million to the local host community.  Though Mobile originally bid to host the 2017 USBC Women’s Championships, the city was awarded the right to host the 2021 event, winning out against three other finalist cities.

“We greatly appreciate the trust and confidence the USBC selection committee showed in Mobile in awarding us this prestigious 2021 Women’s Championship”, said Danny Corte, Executive Director of the Mobile Sports Authority. “It took a lot of hard work by many people over several months’ time to effectively put our bid together.  We had an excellent team with a good plan and I’m proud of how our six-member Team Mobile presentation group performed under the pressure of the moment when we made our bid presentation in Arlington, TX last month.  Granted, 2021 is a little further out than 2017, but I was told by USBC officials that they were so impressed with our overall presentation that they wanted to include Mobile in their future plans.  So they awarded us the 2021 tournament – the next available year in their schedule and ours, due to existing Mardi Gras bookings at the Convention Center.” 

The six members of Team Mobile who traveled to Arlington were as follows: 

• Danny Corte, Executive Director of the Mobile Sports Authority;
• Connie Hudson, Vice President of the Mobile County Commission;
• Linda Wehrle, National Sales Manager for the Mobile Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau;
• Brenda Howard, President of the Mobile USBC Women’s Bowling Association;
• Derrick Williams, Senior Sales Manager for the Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel, and;
• Cheryl Gee, Director of Sales & Marketing for the Mobile Convention Center.           

"We're looking forward to the opportunity to bring the Women's Championships to the Gulf Coast, and we know the bowlers will enjoy everything Mobile has to offer," said Brian Lewis, USBC Managing Director of Tournaments. "It's the event's first visit there, and anytime we get the chance to go somewhere new, the participants really respond. This definitely will create a lot of excitement."

“Our city is certainly on the move,” said Mobile Mayor Sam Jones. “We are just ecstatic to land the 2021 United States Bowling Congress Women’s Nationals in Mobile.  Tourism is certainly an economic engine that will create jobs and highlight the great amenities in our city.  We applaud the efforts of and congratulate Team Mobile.”

Connie Hudson, Mobile County Commission Vice President and a member of the Team Mobile presentation group said, “Our team did an outstanding job in marketing and promoting the Mobile area as a USBC tournament site. I could tell that the USBC selection committee was very impressed with our presentation. It was great to be a part of the team. We look forward to welcoming the USBC back to Mobile.”

David Randel, President/CEO of the Mobile Bay Convention & Visitors said, “From a tourism standpoint, a national event of this caliber will bring long-term exposure to our city and hopefully reach a new audience that will return to Mobile again and again.”

“Speaking for the membership of the Mobile Area Lodging Association, we are excited that Mobile was selected by USBC,” said Randy Gould, General Manager of La Quinta Inn & Suites I-10 West and current president of the Mobile Area Lodging Association.  “This is an event that will impact hotel occupancy citywide and it’s nice to see the USBC return to our city for the first time since 1994.”   

In 1994, Mobile hosted the largest bowling tournament in the world, with over 50,000 bowlers competing, when the American Bowling Congress (ABC) Open Championships were held in the then newly-completed Mobile Convention Center.  The ABC eventually joined with three other bowling associations to form the USBC in 2005.  The 1994 tournament was, to date, the largest sports/convention event held in the Mobile area.  Based on present schedules, this 2021 tournament will be the second largest sports/convention event ever held in Mobile, behind the 1994 tournament.   

For more information on USBC, visit www.bowl.com.
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Contact:
Danny Corte Executive Director
Mobile Sports Authority
danny@mobilesportsauthority.com
Phone: 251.232.7753