Known as Maryland’s Gateway to the Nation’s Capital, Montgomery County hosts several sporting events in its local communities of Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Rockville, Silver Spring, Gaithersburg and Germantown annually.
The sporting world was not always as prestige and competitive in Montgomery as it is today. The turning point for sport tourism and leveraging several youth and amateur sporting events annually was the opening of the Maryland SoccerPlex in 2000. Today, The Maryland SoccerPlex hosts to numerous collegiate soccer events including the NCAA Men’s Division I Soccer Championship game. The professional women’s soccer team, the Washington Spirit’s home is at the Maryland SoccerPlex.
In addition, there are two large soccer clubs home to Montgomery County that host annual soccer tournaments drawing players from all over the country, Canada and Puerto Rico. The Bethesda Soccer Club holds a girls and boys premier tournament annually the two weekends before Thanksgiving. In total these two tournaments generate over 12,000 room nights, bringing over 800 teams to the events. The Potomac Soccer Association holds a Memorial Day Weekend event annually. This event draws over 350 teams and brings 4,400 room nights in one weekend.
The Germantown Aquatics Center is another one of Montgomery County’s pristine venues, serving as the home to many events including the DIII Landmark Swim Conference Championships held annually in February.
“Sport tourism is an important part of our local economy,” Kelly Groff, President and CEO of Visit Montgomery stated. “The Maryland SoccerPlex alone welcomes over 650,000 visitors a year. Since the opening of the Maryland SoccerPlex in 2000 our community has been able to capitalize on bringing more sports tourism to our county. The availability of so much parkland in Montgomery County makes us an appealing destination for all sports whether it be biking or running events, lacrosse, soccer, field hockey, golf or basketball.”
To learn more about Montgomery County, please visit their website for more information.
