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NAIA championship, basketball tournament bolsters Durham's growing sports tourism outlook

Two major sporting events are coming to the Bull City in December, bringing tourism dollars and support for youth sports with them.
Posted 2022-12-13T23:01:53+00:00 - Updated 2022-12-13T23:02:26+00:00
NAIA championship helps bring millions of dollars to Durham

Two major sporting events are coming to the Bull City in December, bringing tourism dollars and support for youth sports with them.

The NAIA football championship is this weekend, and a basketball invitational will be played right after Christmas.

There's a wide-ranging impact for these events, not just for out-of-town fans, but also young people who live in Durham.

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is hosting its football championship here at Durham County Memorial Stadium for the second year in a row.

Durham Sports Commission Executive Director Marcus Manning said last year's NAIA championship had an economic impact of half-a-million dollars for Durham.

He's expecting the same impact this year.

"The importance of that - bringing visitors in, tourism in, staying in our hotels, going to our restaurants, going to our different shops in Durham," Manning said. "When we look at that type of event, it's really transformational for this area."

Last year's event brought in people from 29 different states. Manning said this year's teams should drive in that same variety.

"We have Northwestern College from Orange, Iowa, playing Keiser University based out of Florida."

Another major event this month highlights high school athletes.

The second Champion Durham Classic will be held at the Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill.

"It's an opportunity for us to highlight local teams, as well as bring in out of town teams as well," Manning said.

Boys and girls teams from Hillside and Jordan High Schools will play, and the event has a special cause. All proceeds go to the One Team, One Durham fund, supporting youth sports.

"Part of our mission is to have a social impact in Durham through sport, wanting to be intentional on how can we wrap our arms around youth sports, and really provide access and opportunities."

The Champion Durham Classic will also have a non-perishable food drive, benefiting the Durham Rescue Mission.

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