WMBFNews.com | Myrtle Beach/Florence, SC | News, Weather, SportsEven in mid November Myrtle Beach attracts sports tourism

Even in mid November Myrtle Beach attracts sports tourism

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - It is no secret Myrtle Beach leaders are working to boost the local economy with more sports tourism. This weekend could be a sign that it is working.

More than a hundred softball teams were in Myrtle Beach for a tournament. Teams came from across the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.

The tournament is so big it takes up all the fields at Grand Park and Pepper Geddings, and some fields in Surfside Beach and at the Ripken Experience.

With so many teams there were more than a thousand players, along with their parents and coaches.

"Each team that shows up has 12 to 16 players, and typically I know our team - just about all the parents, all the players, everyone has their own rooms," said softball mom Sonja Paulk.

She and her husband said they easily spent more than $500 just for themselves.

"We did do some shopping though too, so let's add some more," Paulk said.

"We know there's a revenue to the city," Tom Paulk said. "We know there's a pay off to the businesses, and that it's going to continue as long as there's softball to be played."

Jim Maguire who supervised the tournament's games at Grand Park said the tournament gets bigger every year. He said Myrtle Beach finished new fields at Grand Park in 2010, the fields have helped the tournament add more teams in the last two years. He said even more teams will come if organizers have somewhere for them to play.

"More fields will provide more facilities, which just spins off and more teams coming down," Maguire said.

So he is glad to see Myrtle Beach is adding even more fields to Grand Park. Some workers even came out on Sunday to get things done. The fields currently under construction are scheduled to be finished at the end of November. Like the other new fields, they can be used for several sports other than softball and baseball.

Maguire said it is not just the number of people coming into town that is good for the city. It is also a good time of year. He said with more space available now event organizers are planning events well past the summer vacation season.

"There's even another tournament next weekend where we have another 88 teams coming in," Maguire said.

He also said the available facilities seem to matter more than the weather. So more fall and winter events are a possibility.

"I can remember being at a tournament here and the weather being in the low 30s the entire weekend. They were out there playing ball like it was summertime," Maguire said.

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