Nestled in the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Worcester County boasts miles of shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean as well as several bays, making the county attractive for all things water sports. Although the county has immense access to the beach, that is only one of many amenities Worcester County has to offer.
Being the easternmost county in the State of Maryland offers a plethora of tourism benefits for Worcester County, including the sport tourism industry. Worcester County Recreation Center (WCRC) opened its doors to the public in 2005, effectively creating a new base for all Worcester County Department of Recreation & Parks programming operations to be administered. The centered also provided an indoor recreational facility to serve the citizens of Worcester County and surrounding communities, along with providing an economic boost to both existing and new businesses in Snow Hill and Worcester County.
The WCRC, located at John Walter Smith Park in Snow Hill, includes a climate controlled 47,000 square-foot multi-purpose fitness arena. Housed within are the offices of the Recreation & Parks staff, along with a 520 seat arena with two multipurpose courts; six basketball hoops, indoor soccer courts, and volleyball courts. For tournament play, two sport courts can be laid down which would accommodate 4 basketball courts or 6 volleyball courts.
Through the Mid-Atlantic Amateur Sports Alliance (MAASA) Wicomico County, Worcester County, and Ocean City became partners to link and leverage combined assets in order to attract, retain, and build sports events with a focus on amateur athletics to grow the region’s economy and reputation as a premiere sporting destination. A few examples of MAASA related events include the USSSA Eastern World Series, Beachfest Volleyball Tournament and others listed on their website.
Kelly Rados, Recreation & Marketing Supervisor stated, “Worcester County is the perfect location to host your next tournament and/or sporting event. With our facilities and parks we can accommodate indoor tournaments such as basketball and volleyball to outdoor tournament including softball, soccer, and lacrosse. Just minutes from Ocean City and miles of beaches, Worcester County is the perfect destination for hosting tournaments. We hope you will plan your next Playcation in Worcester County, Maryland.”
The Northern Worcester Athletic Complex (NWAC) is located in Berlin, serving the citizens in the northern end of the county. This 76 acre complex is in close proximity to Ocean City and serves as a site to many tournaments such as Aloha Tournaments’ Brine Girls Beach Lax Festival, and is also the home of Berlin Little League. To date, the complex includes, one senior league field, one junior league field, three little league fields, a t-ball field, four multipurpose fields and a football field. The football field and one of the multipurpose fields are Bermuda grass. Lighted fields include the senior league field, one multipurpose field and the football field.
SportsEvents Magazine announced Worcester County Tourism as a 2018 Reader’s Choices Award Winner! “It is my honor to recognize Worcester County Tourism as a 2018 winner. Your dedication to youth and amateur sports and the creativity and passion your organization exhibits is a perfect example of excellence in the sports events industry,” said Sherri Middleton, Managing Editor.
To learn more about Worcester County Recreation and Parks, please visit their website for more information.
