ATLANTA'S PHILIPS ARENA IS HOST VENUE FOR
2012 ACC MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
City Expected To Benefit From Television Exposure And Economic Impact
Atlanta (October 25, 2009) - The 2012 Atlanta Coast Conference (ACC) Men's Basketball Tournament will be held March 8-11 in Atlanta's Philips Arena, the Atlanta Sports Council announced today. ACC Commissioner John Swofford made the formal announcement at the 2009-10 ACC Operation Basketball today in Greensboro, N.C.
This will be Atlanta's sixth time playing host to this prestigious event. The league's tournament was held in The Omni in 1983, 1985 and 1989, while the Georgia Dome served as the host site in 2001 and for a second time this past March. The 2001 ACC Tournament still stands as the most-attended conference basketball tournament in NCAA history for both total attendance (182,525) and per session attendance (36,505). In 2009, 158,112 fans attended the ACC Tournament for an average session attendance of 26,352 - both totals are the second-highest marks in NCAA history.
"This is another tremendous win for the city of Atlanta when it comes to hosting mega events, and we appreciate Commissioner Swofford and the entire conference having confidence in our ability to deliver," said Atlanta Sports Council President Gary Stokan, whose organization will host the tournament. "The passionate basketball fans in Atlanta look forward to being a part of the most prestigious conference tournament in the country. We hope to put Atlanta on a 3-year cycle to continuing hosting this tournament."
Atlanta is a strong fit for the ACC because of its geographical location. The top alumni bases for 10 of the 12 ACC member schools are in Atlanta. Coaches see this marketplace as fertile recruiting ground, which is evidenced by the fact that current ACC rosters are populated by 24 players who hail from Atlanta and the state of Georgia.
"The City of Atlanta is a great partner and our league is truly excited to return for the 2012 ACC Tournament," said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. "Playing in Philips Arena provides our teams and fans with a more traditional and intimate environment which will serve our league well. The ACC Tournament continues to be one of the most special events in all of sports and we are proud of that tradition and success."
Aside from 2012 in Atlanta, five of the next six ACC Tournaments will be held in Greensboro, N.C., including the 2010 event, which will be held March 11-14 in the Greensboro Coliseum.
The city of Atlanta is expected to benefit not only through television exposure but also financially through economic impact and direct government revenue. In the two most recent ACC Tournaments held in Atlanta, nearly $54 Million was pumped into the local economy, with another $3.1 Million generated through direct government revenue.
Major college basketball events have dominated Atlanta this decade, including:
* Two NCAA Men's Final Fours (2002, 2007)
* Two NCAA Men's Regionals (2001, 2006)
* Two ACC Men's Basketball Tournaments (2001, 2007)
* One NCAA Women's Final Four (2003)
* One NCAA Women's Regional (2002)
* Six Men's (2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008) and 1 Women's SEC Basketball Tournaments.
These marquee basketball events have yielded $436.8M in economic impact and a $13.1M windfall in city and state taxes.
The $250 million Philips Arena is a state-of-the-art, multipurpose sports and entertainment complex centrally located in downtown Atlanta, and plays host to the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers and the WNBA's Atlanta Dream. The facility is consistently ranked among the top 10 concert and event arenas in the world by Pollstar magazine, and for the first half of the 2009 calendar year Philips Arena was named as the No.1 concert and events venue in the United States. Philips Arena is unparalleled in bringing fans closer to the action. The first row of seats in the upper deck is approximately six rows closer to the floor than in any other major arena built in the last decade.
"From the outstanding sightlines to our exceptional customer service, there is no other venue that can deliver a better basketball fan experience than Philips Arena," said Bob Williams, President, Philips Arena and Executive Vice President, Atlanta Sprit LLC. "Philips Arena has hosted both the NBA and NHL All-Star Games, and the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and we are thrilled to be chosen as the site for yet another of the world's premier sporting events, the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament."
About the Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference, through its member institutions, seeks to maximize the educational and athletic opportunities of its student-athletes while enriching their quality of life. The ACC was founded on May 8, 1953 and has 12 institutions that compete in the league's 25 sponsored sports. The 12 schools in the ACC are: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
About the Atlanta Sports Council
The Atlanta Sports Council promotes the value of sports growth in Atlanta and Georgia by acting as an authority on the economic impact, visibility and quality of life issues associated with sports. The Sports Council's mission is to lead, organize and support sports development with the goal of building Atlanta's reputation as the sports capital of the world. Visit www.atlantasportscouncil.com
About Philips Arena
Named for founding partner Philips, Philips Arena is consistently ranked among the top 10 concert and event arenas in the world. In April 2009, Philips Arena became the first NBA or NHL arena to achieve LEED certification for an existing building as specified by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The operating rights to Philips Arena are owned by Atlanta Spirit LLC which also owns the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers. Philips Arena is online at www.PhilipsArena.com
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