Sports Marketing

Goals surpassed

Exceeded annual sales goals, finishing the fiscal year with 134 assisted definite bookings. In total, the 134 bookings represent a projected 188,000+ hotel room-nights and more than $126 million projected in direct economic impact (visitor spending) in Wake County.
 

March Madness

“March Madness” returned to Raleigh’s Lenovo Center in 2025, and it proved to be a tremendous success by any measure. North Carolina State University (NCSU) served as the official host institution, with support from GRSA and a strong Local Organizing Committee (LOC). The NCAA men’s basketball tournament in Raleigh featured six games, all televised nationally, that generated $16.4 million in direct visitor spending and more than 20,000 hotel room-nights. Total attendance was 57,602, a figure that included more than 21,315 unique visitors who traveled to Raleigh to experience the basketball madness. The LOC was led by the GRSA and NCSU, with tremendous support from the Centennial Authority and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, along with many other community organizations and leaders. This marked the fifth time that Raleigh served as a host site for the NCAA men’s basketball championship.

The 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament tipped off that same weekend at James T. Valvano Arena at Reynolds Coliseum. NCSU finished the season in the top 16, earning the right to host for the 13th time in program history. All three games were played in front of sold-out crowds, and NCSU’s second-round win marked the 20th straight for the Pack in NCAA tournament games played in Raleigh.

NCAA Championships awarded

The Lenovo Center will host its first NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Regional, and the Town of Cary was awarded six more national championship events across three sports. Those were the highlights of the NCAA’s Oct. announcement on future championship host sites spanning academic years 2026-2027 and 2027-2028. NCSU was awarded a Division I Women’s Gymnastics in 2027 and will host a Division I Men’s Basketball Regional in 2028. The Town of Cary was awarded six national championships as part of this bid cycle: two Women’s College Cups, two Men’s College Cups and two Division II Baseball Championships.

In addition to the six events awarded in Oct., an expanded partnership between the Town of Cary, along with its host part partners, and the NCAA was announced in Dec. This long-term agreement added another year of College Cups at WakeMed Soccer Park (2028) and secured USA Baseball National Training Complex (NTC) as the host site for Division II Baseball National Championships through 2038.

Soccer central

Supported a winning team of local partners to solidify our reputation as the soccer capital of America, and it was another big year for the sport of soccer in Wake County.

• The Soccer Tournament (TST) returned to Cary’s WakeMed Soccer Park in June for the third year in a row with an expanded field of 16 women’s teams and 48 men’s teams and a total of $2 million in prize money. Organizers of the 7v7 extravaganza, which was sponsored by GRSA, announced a record-breaking attendance of 51,730 for the six-day event. The tournament featured players from 34 different countries, and the star-studded field included many well-known athletes and celebrities, including Chris Paul, Carli Lloyd, Hope Solo and Ali Krieger among many others. The Pat McAfee Show was broadcast live from WMSP for the second year in a row for two consecutive days, providing incredible national coverage for the venue, the Town of Cary and the region. The U.S. Women’s team claimed its second straight $1 million prize in the women’s bracket, while Bumpy Pitch FC emerged victorious in the men’s championship game.
• The Town of Cary, in coordination with TST and GRSA, debuted The Cary Cup in early June. The Cary Cup is the first youth tournament in the nation to use TST’s signature 7v7 format and Target Score Time™, where every match ends on a game-winning goal. More than 130 boys and girls teams competed at venues across Cary and Apex in a high-energy, festival-style setting. Championship matches were played at WakeMed Soccer Park—on the same fields as TST’s global stars and celebrity players. Youth teams traveled from multiple states, including Va., Ga., Ark. and Md.
• Collegiate champions were crowned once again in Cary, with the ACC Women’s and Men’s Soccer Championships taking place in Nov. and the NCAA Division I Women’s and Men’s Soccer College Cups returning on back-to-back weekends in Dec.
• North Carolina FC (NCFC) Youth’s visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series, the largest annual sporting event in the region, attracted more than 1,500 youth teams to play over four weekends in Nov. and Dec. Teams from 33 states and Canada participated in the Showcase Series, and the event generates more than 30,000 hotel room-nights and $28 million in direct visitor spending for the region.

Collegiate events hosted

Continued building the region's strong reputation for hosting collegiate-level events this past year.

• NCAA Championship events hosted included: Women’s College Cup, Men’s College Cup, Men’s Basketball First/Second Rounds, Women’s Basketball First/Second Rounds, Men’s and Women's Tennis First/Second Rounds and the Division II Baseball Championship (pictured below)
• Conference champions were crowned in: ACC Men’s and Women’s Soccer, ACC Men’s and Women’s Tennis, MEAC Bowling, MEAC Men's and Women's Tennis and Conference Carolinas Swimming and Diving
• Additional events included: adidas XC Challenge, ITA All-American Women's Championships (tennis), Great American XC Festival HBCU Challenge, SAS Championship HBCU Invitational, Triangle Tango Intercollegiate Regatta, NTC Division II Baseball Challenge, Triangle Collegiate Softball Classic, CIAA Softball Roundup, City of Oaks Collegiate (golf), USA Racquetball Intercollegiate Championships, Wolfpack Women's Match Play Invitational (golf), Stitch Intercollegiate (golf) and the Lake Wheeler Rowing Invitational

Marquee events in Greater Raleigh

Enhanced GRSA’s 2024-2025 calendar with several significant events in a broad range of sports, showcasing the diversity and inclusivity of Greater Raleigh.

• Last summer, Triangle Aquatic Center (TAC) hosted Olympic training for Team USA as they prepared for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. This unique opportunity highlighted TAC’s reputation as a world-class facility and hub for competitive swimming.
• The PPA Tour returned to Cary Tennis Park in April, attracting over 1,200 players and thousands of spectators, highlighting the growing popularity of pickleball in the region.
• With the support of Greater Raleigh Esports Local Organizing Committee (GRELOC), three major tournaments were held over the last year: ESL One Raleigh 2025 (Raleigh Convention Center), the Rocket League Championship Series (Lenovo Center) and the 2025 College League of Legends Championship and 2025 College VALORANT Championship (NCSU’s Gaming and Esports Lab). Hosting these events showcased Raleigh on the global stage, solidifying Greater Raleigh as a leading esports destination.
• In Sept., the PDGA Tim Selinske US Masters Disc Golf Championships brought more than 500 pro and amateur disc golf players to compete at four area facilities. This prestigious event, one of only 11 major championships in the world held annually for disc golf, was a major success with the support of local partners from the Capital Area Disc League.

Additional events hosted/serviced

Worked with local partners in hosting, supporting and servicing multiple events held throughout the year. Some of the highlights included:

• USA Baseball programs: National Team Identification Series Champions Cups, Futures Invitationals and National High School Invitational
• Multiple swimming events with USA Swimming, TAC Titans, YMCA, N.C. Senior Games and N.C. Masters Swimming
• Sir Walter Miler
• Cary Tennis Classic
• SAS Championship
• City of Oaks Marathon
• N.C. Boys LaxFest
• John Wall Holiday Invitational
• City of Oaks Challenge (volleyball)
• The Carolina Cup (gymnastics)
• Carolina Crown (boys’ volleyball)
• MAPL Raleigh Volleyball
• BODYARMOR Winter State Games of N.C.
• Apache Memorial Raleigh (girls’ basketball)
• Phenom Hoops Live
• Senior Softball-USA Atlantic Coast Championships
• UNC Health Golf Championship presented by Stitch
• Special Olympics of North Carolina: Summer Games 
• Oak City Swing Softball Tournament
• IWLCA Southeast Cup (lacrosse)
• Carolina Clash (lacrosse)
• Multiple N.C. High School Athletic Association state championships

Future bookings

Helped secure key future events in partnership with local organizations and venues, including:

• 2025 Soccer Youth All-American Series
• 2025-2030 ITA Women’s All-American Tennis Championships
• 2026, 2027 and 2028 Division I Women’s Soccer College Cups
• 2026, 2027 and 2028 Division I Men’s Soccer College Cups
• 2027-2038 NCAA Division II Baseball Championships
   

Social media and marketing

Continued to place an increased emphasis on social media efforts, with a significant focus on Instagram. As a result of a more strategic effort to create and collaborate with event organizers and partners, GRSA’s Instagram account garnered a reach of 152,400, a 290.7% increase from the previous year. GRSA also maintained a strong presence on X (formerly Twitter) with nearly 3,000 followers.

Worked closely with the Marketing and Communications Department throughout the year to market and advertise Greater Raleigh as the premier destination for sporting events. This included collaborative work on tradeshow activations, digital and print advertising and Sports Watch, GRSA’s quarterly e-newsletter. 
 

Industry involvement/travel and tradeshows

Remained heavily involved with the N.C. Sports Association (NCSA) as sports sales manager Jocelyn O’Sullivan served on the NCSA board of directors, associate director Jason Philbeck, STS, served on the Board Development Committee and executive director Scott Dupree served as chair of the N.C. Sports Leadership Council. Director Tori Collins served as co-chair of the GRELOC.

Represented Raleigh and Wake County at the following meetings, tradeshows and conferences:

• TEAMS Conference and Expo
• U.S. Olympic Committee Sportslink
• Connect Sports Marketplace
• United Soccer Coaches Convention/US Youth Soccer Workshop
• Sports ETA Symposium
• Sports ETA 4S
• Sports ETA Women’s Summit
• NCSA meetings
• WISE meetings
• N.C. Sports Leadership Council meetings
• GRSA Advisory Board meetings

^{TST, March Madness, NCAA soccer and NCAA baseball photos, Alyson Boyer Rode; visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series photo, David Kuhn}