Topeka Area Sports Commission details plan to keep youth tournaments, dollars in Shawnee County

Mike Bell, a representative of the Topeka Area Sports Commission, urged Shawnee County commissioners on Monday, Feb. 3, to back a strategy aimed at keeping more youth and amateur sporting events — and the spending that comes with them — in the Topeka area.

Bell told the Shawnee County Board of County Commissioners during a work session that the commission recorded about $27,000,000 in direct economic impact from sports activity in 2024, including roughly 17,000 room nights. He said the commission tracked 81 event leads but lost about 15 events that together represented about $11,000,000 in potential spending.

The commission’s strategy for 2025, Bell said, focuses on recruitment and community storytelling, better promotion of existing venues, targeted facility upgrades, volunteer recruitment and a stronger digital presence through TopekaSports.org and social channels. "We wanted to make sure we had a baseline," Bell said, describing the commission’s 2024 “Road Warriors” survey of about 1,200 residents. "About 70% of those folks are leaving our community," he said, often more than 11 times a year for youth…