Chesterfield reports sports tourism growth, announces AJGA junior golf event and field-use review

JC Poehler, presenter for the Sports Visitation & Entertainment department, told the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors during a work session that the county’s sports tourism program reported a year of growth and announced a new American Junior Golf Association event next year in June, with a qualifying round the day prior on June 20.

The update emphasized the department’s reliance on lodging-tax revenue and outlined plans to prioritize resident field access while using tourism dollars to support facility improvements. Poehler said the county hosted 156 sports tourism events last year and that the department will conduct a complete facility assessment and a holistic scheduling and cosponsorship policy review to better serve local leagues and visitor events.

Why it matters: the Sports Visitation & Entertainment (SVE) department is funded by lodging-tax revenue the county collects from visitors. Poehler told supervisors that strengthening the county’s tournament and championship portfolio can grow the lodging tax and fund park and facility projects while the county seeks to ensure that “home field advantage” for residents remains intact.

County numbers and context

Poehler and his staff presented several performance metrics. The county currently lists about 52 hotels with roughly 4,400 rooms, and an average monthly occupancy cited at 66.33 percent. Poehler said each new hotel room can generate, at a high level, roughly $2,900 in lodging-tax return to the county (approximate estimate provided by presenter). The department said it handled over 30,000 facility booking contacts last year, coordinating with about 438 organizations across more than 220 fields, courts and diamonds.

Matt Mullen, identified in the presentation as the department’s new assistant director of Sports Visitation & Entertainment, said the reorganization was intended to provide “one contact, one face, and better customer service from one dedicated team.” Mullen described work to integrate local athletics scheduling and tourism events, and to coordinate with county fire, police and EMS for event safety.

Use of fields and resident priority

Presenters said the county’s facility usage still favors residents: 73 percent of scheduled athletic field time was for local, co-sponsored sports organizations and about 27 percent was derived from tourism events. Poehler said the supply of fields does not meet demand and described the forthcoming assessment and policy review as data-driven. “We’re gonna use all those tourism dollars to eliminate our local fees,” Poehler said, adding that the county will not grant exclusive facility rights based solely on historical use.

Announcements and partnerships

The county announced the Clay Chesterfield Junior Golf Championship, an American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) event to be hosted at The Highlands Golf Club. Patrick Haynes of the AJGA said the tournament will draw roughly 156 junior golfers from about 10–15 U.S. states and several countries; the competition will be 54 holes with no cut, and the week will include a Junior Am fundraising event and a qualifying round the day before the main competition.

Troy Thorne, representing The Highlands Golf Club, said the course has received recent capital improvements and that the club’s owner agreed to close the course for the five-day event to accommodate the tournament and visiting players.

Other items covered

• The department highlighted recent wins and activity: SwimRVA won the bid to host the USA Masters National Championship in 2027; River City Sportsplex received an industry award; and the department launched a small in‑house marketing campaign to boost shoulder-season visitation (holiday-focused) funded in part by a Vacation Starts With VA grant amplified by Virginia Tourism.

• SVE staff said they have taken over local athletics scheduling earlier this year and have already made some immediate operational changes. Poehler said Parks and Recreation staff (facility maintenance) and SVE (scheduling/marketing) will work together on a holistic plan.

Board discussion and next steps

Board members raised equity and outreach points. Dr. Casey (board member) stressed the need for equitable field access across the county so children in all neighborhoods have the opportunity to play. A board member suggested partnering with local schools’ career-and-technical education programs to help cover events through student media and broadcasting opportunities; staff agreed to explore that idea. Supervisors also asked about proactive outreach to film producers and noted traffic planning needs for major events; staff said they were working on traffic plans in coordination with county traffic staff.

What comes next

Staff said the county will complete a facilities assessment, return with a recommended scheduling and cosponsorship policy backed by data, and continue to recruit high-profile events to grow lodging-tax revenue. The announcement materials direct people seeking more information to playchesterfield.com.

Quotes

"We're gonna use all those tourism dollars to eliminate our local fees and I think that's very important for where we are heading in that fabric of how we incorporate sports," JC Poehler, presenter for the Sports Visitation & Entertainment department, said during the update.

"This move has been very strategic to ensure that there's one contact, one face, and better customer service from one dedicated team," Matt Mullen, assistant director of Sports Visitation & Entertainment, said of consolidating local athletics and tourism functions.

"The American Junior Golf Association...will have 156 kids from all across the world that'll be in town playing," Patrick Haynes of the AJGA said, noting the event will draw players from multiple states and countries.

"We're gonna do the best that we can to help you have a spectacular event," Troy Thorne of The Highlands Golf Club said about hosting the AJGA tournament.

"Chesterfield High School sports have long been the backbone of our community, connecting families and neighbors through a shared sense of pride and tradition," Dr. Murray said in a promotional segment about a scholar-athlete program tied to the county hall of fame.

Ending

The work session provided county supervisors with operational data, an event pipeline and a clear next step: complete a countywide facilities assessment and return with a scheduling and cosponsorship policy that seeks to balance resident use with sports-tourism growth. The department’s materials and the AJGA announcement will be available through SVE outreach channels and playchesterfield.com.