ART VAN SPORTS COMPLEX FEATURES NEW CONSUMERS ENERGY PICNIC PAVILION

4/12/18 9:30 am

CONTACT: Kim Skeltis, APR; (616) 419-8385; kim@blueblazepr.com

Fourth Season Opens April 21 with 17 Tournaments and Two Sell-Out Weekends Anticipated

PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich., April 12, 2018 – While Opening Day in Major League Baseball has come and gone, April 21 is “opening day” at the championship-caliber Art Van Sports Complex (AVSC), officially kicking off its fourth tournament season with the USSSA Early Bird Spring Classic. This year features not only 17 tournaments and an estimated $5 million in direct visitor spending, but new facility additions like the Consumers Energy Picnic Pavilion, an additional storage building, and coming soon – batting cages (estimated completion in August).

Owned and operated by the West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC), the AVSC is the only baseball/softball complex of its kind in West Michigan. Since opening in August 2014, the AVSC has contributed a cumulative $13.5 million in direct visitor spending to the region, hosting 53 tournaments over its first three seasons that attracted 1,954 teams, almost 25,000 athletes and 62,360 spectators who booked 21,482 hotel room nights.

“We are thrilled to be on the brink of another season with the AVSC,” said Mike Guswiler, president of the West Michigan Sports Commission. “This complex is doing exactly what we’d hoped and more – drawing athletes and their families to West Michigan to not only enjoy our first-class athletic facilities, but spend their dollars here.”

2018 Season Features New Picnic Pavilion

A new feature this year is the recently completed Consumers Energy Picnic Pavilion, located off the drive between Quads A & B before approaching the Championship Field.  The 24’ x 52’ lighted pavilion is constructed in the same wooden architectural style as the Championship Field canopy, holding 12 picnic tables that can accommodate up to three teams at a time.

Consumers Energy Foundation, one of the original donors to the Everyone Wins campaign during construction of the AVSC in 2012, generously stepped up as the lead donor of the pavilion.  Additional donors include the Universal Forest Products Foundation.

“We couldn’t be more grateful to Consumers Energy Foundation for selecting the Art Van Sports Complex in 2012 when it was issuing grants across the state to celebrate its 125-year existence and commitment to the community.  We’re so fortunate for this recent additional donation from both Consumers Energy Foundation and UFPI Foundation to improve our visitors’ experience through the construction of this picnic pavilion,” said Guswiler.

Strong Economic Impact with Full Tournament Schedule

The WMSC anticipates that 2018 will be another strong year in terms of economic impact, with the 2018 tournament season estimated to generate another $5 million in direct visitor spending based on an expected 640 teams, 8,320 athletes and 20,800 spectators. The AVSC kicks off its 2018 tournament schedule this weekend with the USSSA Early Bird Spring Classic, the first of 17 tournaments booked between April and September.  A few of the tournaments, such as the Game Day USA Majestic Prospect Games in June and Game Day USA National Championships in July (two weekends), will fill the complex to capacity (60 teams) and utilize additional fields outside the complex, with teams traveling from as far as Wisconsin, Illinois and Ontario.

Below is a list of confirmed tournaments between April and September, with tournaments in bold drawing the most significant economic impact:

USSSA Early Bird Spring Classic, April 21-22
Game Day USA National Youth Baseball Championships Qualifier, April 27-29
USSSA Great Lakes Showcase, May 4-6
USSSA Cinco De Mayo Shootout, May 5-6
Game Day USA Super Regional, May 11-13
USSSA Great Lakes Challenge, May 19-20
2018 USSSA Memorial Day Classic, May 26-27
Game Day USA Rumble in the Rapids, June 1-3
Game Day USA Majestic Prospect Games, June 8-10
Game Day USA Silver Series Grand Championships - Grand Rapids, June 15-17
Meijer State Games of Michigan Baseball Tournament, June 22-24
Game Day USA Michigan State Championships, June 29-July 1
USSSA Summer Blast, July 4-6
Game Day USA National Championships Grand Rapids #1, July 12-15
Game Day USA National Championships Grand Rapids #2, July 19-22
ISSA-Canada Senior Border Battle, Aug. 3-5
USA Softball Men’s Modified Pitch, Sept. 1

A full list of AVSC tournaments can be found at artvansportscomplex.com.

About the West Michigan Sports Commission

The nonprofit West Michigan Sports Commission works to identify, secure and host a diverse level of youth and amateur sporting events to make a positive impact on the economy and quality of life in the region. Since its inception in 2007, the WMSC has booked 646 sporting events and tournaments that attracted more than 1 million athletes and visitors, generating $297 million in direct visitor spending. For more information, visit westmisports.com and Facebook.com/WestMichiganSportsCommission and follow @WestMiSports.

About the Art Van Sports Complex

A flagship project of the West Michigan Sports Commission, the Art Van Sports Complex is a championship-caliber baseball/softball complex near Rockford featuring eight baseball and softball fields, including the 385-foot fenced Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation Championship Field with covered grandstands to seat 1,000 spectators; Nate Hurwitz Miracle League Field for children with disabilities; warm-up areas, restrooms, concessions and maintenance building; and parking for more than 400 vehicles. Visit artvansportscomplex.com for more information.

WEST MICHIGAN HOSTS FIRST USA-CANADA "SENIOR BORDER BATTLE" IN SLOW-PITCH SOFTBALL AUG. 3-5 AT ART VAN SPORTS COMPLEX

CONTACT: Kim Skeltis, APR; (616)-419-8385; kim@blueblazepr.com

Top Senior Softball Athletes from 16 Teams in the United States and Canada Compete in First International Senior Softball Association Event in Michigan

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., July 30, 2018 – Canada is sending down its best men’s senior slow-pitch softball players to square off against the best U.S. teams in the first-ever USA-Canada Senior Border Battle in men’s slow pitch softball, Aug. 3-5 at the Art Van Sports Complex in Plainfield Township. 

Hosted by the West Michigan Sports Commission, the event is organized by the International Senior Softball Association (ISSA) and Slo-Pitch Ontario Association (SPO) to provide the best senior players in both countries an opportunity to participate in international competition.  The event is being held for the first time, and it will alternate each year between the United States at the Art Van Sports Complex (AVSC) and Canada at an Ontario venue selected by SPO. In the off year, ISSA will host another slow-pitch senior event at the AVSC. This also is the first ISSA tournament ever held in Michigan.

“Michigan is a big slow-pitch softball state, so this is an ideal fit to have this tournament in our backyard,” said Katy Tigchelaar, WMSC director of marketing & events and local tournament director for the USA-Canada Border Battle. “We are thrilled to partner with ISSA on an annual senior softball event at the Art Van Sports Complex, and we hope to knock this first event out of the ballpark, literally, and continue to grow it in future years.”

The event has 16 registered teams with 250 players ranging in age from 50 to 65-plus. The 12 U.S. teams hail from Florida, Illinois, Michigan (three teams), Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio (two teams), Texas and West Virginia. The four Canadian teams are comprised of players from cities throughout Ontario. The event is expected to generate approximately $200,000 in economic impact plus 400 hotel nights booked for both the players and an estimated 150 traveling spectators who will stay at the Best Western Hospitality Hotel & Suites, Comfort Inn Airport and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Grand Rapids Airport.

“We are very excited to work with the West Michigan Sports Commission for the inaugural Senior Border Battle that will feature some of the most outstanding senior players in the history of the sport, many of whom have been inducted in the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame,” said ISSA Executive Director RB Thomas, Jr. “The West Michigan Sports Commission staff has been excellent to work with to insure participants experience an outstanding, high-quality event.”

Tournament Details

The tournament features four age classifications – 50 to 54 years, 55 to 59, 60 to 64, and 65-plus – with four teams per age category (three U.S. teams and one Canadian team). Each U.S. team will play three preliminary games on Saturday against the respective Canadian team in each age division to determine the number one seeded USA Team to compete against the Canadian teams on Sunday. The top seeded team in each age bracket will play the equivalent Canadian team on Sunday for the Border Champion. Seeds 2 and 3 will play for the Bronze medal. Team awards will be given to the first, second and third place finishers in each age division. Individual awards (medals) also will be given to players on the top three teams. USA Border Champions will receive a berth to compete in the 2019 event in Canada.

"We can’t wait to participate in this unique initiative that brings an international level of competition to the most experienced slo-pitch players of our two countries, and we look forward to working with the ISSA and the West Michigan Sports Commission to make this an event to remember,” said Tom Buchan, CEO of the Slo-Pitch Ontario Association.

The tournament weekend begins Friday, Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. with a Home Run Derby that will pit three-man teams of the power hitters from each of the sixteen teams.  The grand finale tournaments begin Sunday at 11 a.m. on the four fields.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit seniorsoftball.org/usa-canada-senior-border-battle.html.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer scorekeepers are needed Saturday, Aug. 4 and Sunday, Aug. 5 to fill approximately two-hour shifts. For information and to register as a volunteer, visit http://signup.com/go/TLAbuNS.

MEDIA NOTE: The sport is spelled Slow Pitch in the United States and Slo Pitch in Canada.

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About the West Michigan Sports Commission

The non-profit West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) identifies, secures and hosts a diverse level of youth and amateur sporting events to positively impact the economy and quality of life in the region. Since its inception in 2007, the WMSC has booked 664 sporting events and tournaments that attracted more than 1 million athletes and visitors, generating $307 million in direct visitor spending. For more information, visit westmisports.com and Facebook.com/WestMichiganSportsCommission and follow @WestMiSports.

About the International Senior Softball Association

The International Senior Softball Association (ISSA) was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Manassas, Virginia.  One of the nation’s leading sports organizations, the ISSA annually holds more than 25 championship events at venues across the United States for the senior division of the sport.  The staff have been recognized nationally for the quality and sports tourism value of the events in their championship series.  In 2015, the National Association of Sports Commissions recognized ISSA Founder and Executive Director RB Thomas, Jr. as the Outstanding Sports Event Organizer in the United States.  For more information, visit seniorsoftball.org.

About the Slo-Pitch Ontario Association

The Slo-Pitch Ontario Association (SPO) was formed in 1982 in an effort to create more awareness of the sport of slo-pitch and to better communicate with its participants throughout Ontario.  In 1992, SPO became a member of Softball Ontario and affiliated with Softball Canada, the officially recognized slo-pitch/softball organizations.  Slo-Pitch Ontario has one of the largest provincial memberships in Canada.  Slo-pitch softball is one of the fastest growing adult team sports in North America. More than 2.5 million Canadians play this recreational grassroots game each season. For more information, visit slopitch.org