From the City of Fredericksburg:
The City of Fredericksburg (City), the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority (EDA) and the University of Mary Washington’s (UMW) Athletics Department are partnering to bring in more sports tourism events and drive room nights to city hotels.
Fredericksburg City Council in this fiscal year’s budget allocated $100,000 to the Fredericksburg EDA to be used for sports tourism development. Some of those funds have been put toward a new agreement with UMW that is expected to boost sports tourism-related revenue for the City. (Other funds have been invested in events such as the Babe Ruth World Series and the Marine Corps Historic Half.) For every hotel room booked in the City of Fredericksburg due to a UMW athletics event, UMW Athletics will receive $10 per room, per night from the EDA. The agreement also includes a $5,000 sponsorship that will allow the City of Fredericksburg’s tourism office to have more visibility with incoming athletic groups, and provide other marketing opportunities.
This is not the first time that the City and UMW have worked together on sports tourism. In 2019, in an effort to ease cramped parking on Hanover Street, the City and UMW expanded parking at UMW’s Battlefield Athletic Complex. This bolstered the athletic complex’s attractiveness for sports tourism events (as an example, UMW recently hosted the first four rounds of the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer championships at the complex).
“This is an excellent opportunity to partner with the City of Fredericksburg and EDA in a way that further strengthens the relationship between the City, the EDA and the UMW community,” said Patrick Catullo, UMW’s Director of Athletics. “The expansive nature of our conference results in more visitors over the course of the year. This partnership puts us in a position to drive business to the Fredericksburg area, which is a benefit for all!”
“The EDA is thrilled to have this opportunity to partner with UMW Athletics to not only enhance our economic development efforts in the City, but also to experience yet another avenue of partnership with UMW. We are a college town, after all, and we have a lot of shared goals. I hope there are many more opportunities like this in the future,” stated EDA Member Mitzi Brown
City of Fredericksburg Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw affirmed City Council’s support of this partnership, stating, “We are proud to be the home of the UMW Eagles, their excellent athletic program, and being able to host their supporters and opposing teams. This collaboration enriches both the University and the city in many ways.”
For more information on this partnership, please contact Sonja Cantu, Public Information Officer for the City of Fredericksburg, at [email protected].
Sports Planners interested in Fredericksburg events are encouraged to contact Victoria Matthews, Tourism Sales Manager at [email protected].
