San Diego’s sports marketing efforts are "now being championed by a newly formed organization," called Sports San Diego, whose primary goal is to "book events big and small -- and ultimately boost local tourism dollars," according to Jennifer Van Grove of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. Local leaders on Thursday announced the creation of Sports San Diego as the city’s "primary vehicle for recruiting and hosting world-class sporting events." The newly branded entity is run by the not-for-profit San Diego Bowl Game Association, which puts on the annual Holiday Bowl, and is "funded by a portion of the hotel fees collected by the San Diego Tourism Marketing District." The group will "bid to host major competitions, promote the city’s existing and coming-soon venues ... and also produce its own events." This includes "attracting more NCAA football and basketball competitions." The new entity will "use the remainder of the money allocated" to the Tourism Authority for sports tourism for the current FY ending June 30 -- or $150,016. Sports San Diego also will "raise its own funds and collect revenue from future events" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/11).
