Anderson Hosts 30-team Electric City Shoot Out

During the weekend of April 23-25, the Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center, (ASEC) Ball fields will be in full swing with 30 youth baseball teams (ages 8 to 14). Players from across South Carolina and Georgia have signed up to compete in the Electric City Shoot Out, a tournament sponsored by the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA). 

“Once again, Anderson County Council and staff are encouraging residents to treat players and their families to a taste of Anderson County hospitality,” said Anderson County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn. “When we welcome tournaments to the Sports & Entertainment Center, we welcome dollars into our local economy. In these tough economic times, we really want to sell our County as a recreational destination. We can achieve this by making our visitors know we want them here. We are asking businesses to use their digital signs to welcome teams to Anderson, talk to the ASEC staff about sponsoring tournaments, or providing discount coupons to the players. Also, as a Council, we recognize that quality recreational facilities attract tournaments. The Electric City Shoot Out is bringing 30 teams and that is close to the current capacity of our facility, BUT once we finish our new ball fields, we can attract even larger tournaments of 70-80 teams. Imagine what that will do to boost our local economy! We build it and they will come.”

 “The Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center brings a lot to Anderson County’s economy,” said Anderson County Convention & Visitors Bureau Director Kathy Benson. “In the 2008-09 fiscal year, events at the Civic Center of Anderson generated $9.71 million dollars in economic impact.  The 23 weekend sports tournaments at the Anderson Sports Center added another $5.4 million to our economy in ’08-’09.  Put the two together and you have $15.11 million dollars in our county’s economy which wouldn’t be there without these facilities.”

“The Southern Classic, which took place on March 6-7, generated approximately $120,000 in direct economic impact to Anderson County,” said Anderson County Parks, Recreation and Tourism Director Glenn Brill. “According to the Smith Travel Research report, the Southern Classic gave Anderson and 86.1% occupancy rate on March 5^th, which was the highest rate of any other city in South Carolina on that date. During tournaments and sporting events, athletes and their families spend money in our hotels, restaurants, retail stores and gas stations.”