Topeka Area Sports Commission unveils plan to keep youth sports dollars in Shawnee County

Mike Bell of the Topeka Area Sports Commission told the Shawnee County Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 3 that the commission will pursue recruitment, facility upgrades and targeted bids to keep youth sports dollars in the Topeka area and to attract more events to Shawnee County.

Bell said the commission measured direct spending tied to local events at about $27,000,000 in 2024 and about 17,000 room nights. He told commissioners an independent survey of roughly 1,200 area residents—called “Road Warriors”—found about 70% of families with children travel outside the county for competitions and many make more than 11 trips a year. Bell estimated the typical traveling family spends about $161 per day, and he said that pattern represents roughly $7,000,000 that leaves the local economy.

The commission’s plan for 2025 centers on four areas: recruitment and community storytelling, highlighting existing venues, improving sports facilities and infrastructure, and hosting a wider range of events. Bell described recent successes and losses in event bookings, saying the commission generated about 81 event leads in 2024 but lost about 15 events representing an estimated $11,000,000 in potential impact.

Bell highlighted existing Shawnee County assets — including the Stormont Vail Event Center, Bettison and Vista complexes, Humber Sports Park, the Topeka Quarter Midget Track, Heartland BMX and the Topeka Swim Association’s natatorium — and said the commission will promote them more aggressively. He said the commission will push digital outreach through TopekaSports.org and social media, and introduce a business-facing aquatics blog on LinkedIn.

On competitions and bids, Bell said the commission is targeting collegiate and amateur markets, including NAIA and National Junior College (NJCAA) events and some NCAA bids. He noted an upcoming Cheer & Dance national championship at the Stormont Vail Event Center and said the MIAA basketball championship will remain in the Kansas City area for the near term based on “unofficial” word received by the commission.

Bell also described smaller but strategic efforts such as Task Cares, a sports-equipment distribution program the commission ran in late 2024 that provided $2,900 in equipment and shoes to local youth. He noted niche events are gaining traction, citing quadball (a collegiate club sport derived from fictional Quidditch), Heartland BMX activities that drew an Olympian to local sessions, and a planned NASCAR quarter-midget race at the Topeka Quarter Midget Track expected to draw roughly 400 racers, most from outside Topeka.

Commissioners asked questions about the plan’s focus and economic logic. One commissioner noted that if local families stopped traveling they would generate fewer hotel room nights; Bell agreed that keeping families local would not fully replace lost room nights but said money would still circulate locally (for example, restaurants and local services) and that keeping volunteers and participants in the community helps sustain event hosting capacity. Commissioners also asked about a county-funded sport court at the Stormont Vail Event Center; Bell said the commission lobbied for that investment and is working with local academies and sponsors to program and help pay down the associated debt.

Bell described a facilities review and a longer-term concept he called “project moonshot” for a state-of-the-art facility to increase competitiveness, but he said the commission has not completed a master plan and intends to coordinate with Shawnee County Parks and Recreation and other stakeholders on inventories and reconfigurations of existing fields (for example, repurposing underused softball fields). He mentioned the Kansas Tourism attraction development grants as a potential funding source for smaller upgrades, citing a reported $12,000 price to repair or replace a scoreboard at the Quarter Midget Track that the commission hopes to target with a grant before a large October race.

No formal actions, votes or directives were taken at the Feb. 3 work session; the meeting served as an informational presentation and a Q&A between commissioners and the commission’s representative. Bell closed by inviting further questions and offering to work with county staff, sponsors and local sports organizations on implementation and sponsorship.

Key details and figures mentioned during the presentation include the $27,000,000 direct economic impact estimate for 2024, about 17,000 room nights tied to events, roughly 81 leads generated in 2024 with 15 lost events representing about $11,000,000, a survey sample of about 1,200 people with 70% traveling out of county, an estimated $161 per-day family spending when traveling, Task Cares distributions totaling $2,900 in Q4 2024, and an expected 400 racers to attend the October quarter-midget event. The commission said it will push digital promotion via TopekaSports.org and pursue both small upgrades and larger facility concepts through grants, sponsorships and partnerships.