The Greater Chattanooga Sports & Events Committee announced Monday that sporting events in 2009 brought an estimated $25.1 million to the area.
That is a record total, breaking the $23.8 million in 2005, and occurred despite last month’s NCAA Football Championship bringing in $919,250, the smallest amount since the event came here in 1997. The Head of the Hooch rowing regatta in November brought in the highest economic impact at $4.3 million, while the National Softball Association’s Girls Class “A” Fast Pitch World Series in July was next at $3.56 million.
The FCS title game between Montana and Villanova ranked fifth last year in terms of economic impact.
“Considering this was an off year for out-of-town attendance at the NCAA football championship, this is a pretty impressive number,” Sports Committee board chairman Jim Kennedy said. “It proves that Chattanooga continues to grow in stature as a showcase for amateur athletics.”
The Athletic Championships Cheerleading, which brought in $1.296 million last January, and the Head of the Hooch have been held here since 2001 and ’05, respectively. They were lured by the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau, which oversees the Sports Committee, but are considered sporting events and are included annually on the Sports Committee calendar.