Seventy thousand fans ? that?s the goal.
With the 2007 NCAA men?s lacrosse championships set to return to M&T Bank Stadium this year, local businesses are rallying together to try to sell out the 70,017-seat facility. Pushing ticket sales for the three-day event, many companies are banking on the hope that if Baltimore has a strong showing this year, it can secure a bid tohost the 2009 championships.
And with the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association estimating that the 2004 tournament had an economic impact of $15 million on the city, business want those dollars to return to Charm City.
“We want to sell out the games, but make sure the people who come here have a good time,” said Nancy Hinds, vice president of public affairs for BACVA. “The more we can attract, the better off we are.”
Lasting from May 26 to 28, the weekend will consist of the Division I semifinals and the Division I, II and III championships games. The Division I championship games drew 37,944 and 43,898 fans its last two years at M&T in 2003 and 2004. Last year in Philadelphia, the title game drew nearly 50,000 ? a number that local businesses hope to smash.
“Now, other lacrosse hotbeds [such as Denver and Boston] are throwing their hat in the ring,” said Steve Stenersen, the executive director of Baltimore-based U.S. Lacrosse. “It indicates how fast the sport is growing, but it makes it tougher for a place like Baltimore [to receive the bid].”
Besides the game, local organizations are looking to roll out the red carpet for visitors to the city. Lax4Baltimore, a group composed of Loyola College, Towson University, Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, has been formed by the local schools to help support the event. According to Hinds, plans are also in the works to have attractions and events happening on the west shore.
The 2008 championships are in Foxboro, Mass.
