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Carolina Diving Academy tells Huntersville council HFFA drives events, athletes and tourism dollars
Summary
A Carolina Diving Academy representative told the Council that events at Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics produced hundreds of visitors, thousands of room nights and roughly $1.45M–$1.87M in local economic impact over 18 months and urged continued town investment in the facility.
Carolina Diving Academy told the Huntersville Board of Commissioners June 16 that events staged at Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics (HFFA) have produced measurable tourism and athletic outcomes, and asked the town to continue investments to sustain the facility and its events.
Aaron, representing Carolina Diving Academy, said the program hosted major meets in 2025 — including a professional diving meet, AAU national championships and USA Diving Zone A — producing an estimated 890 visitors and about 2,290 room nights in 2025 and similar visitor counts in 2026 with 1,180 room nights to date. He said direct spending associated with visiting families totaled an estimated $687,000 in 2025 and $354,000 so far in 2026; using a multiplier, he estimated total economic impact at roughly $1.45 million to $1.87 million over the last 18 months.
Aaron also detailed athletic results tied to HFFA training: state champions, national champions and Team USA representatives among divers who train at the facility, and described partnerships that bring collegiate programs and visiting teams to Huntersville for training. He said the program employs several full-time and seasonal staff, most of whom live in Huntersville, and that the facility is integral to sustaining high-school and regional diving competition in North Carolina.
He urged the Council to view HFFA as not only a community amenity but also an economic engine and to consider continued investment in facility upkeep and programming to attract regional and national events.
No formal funding request was taken at the meeting; the presentation closed after applause and a question period with no board follow-up action scheduled that evening.
