The Palm Beach County Sports Commission has partnered with the World Scout League (WSL) to host one of the largest amateur baseball tournaments in Florida this summer.
The World Scout League Finals, an inaugural 15-day amateur baseball tournament, is taking place now through Aug. 10 at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter and the Santaluces Athletic Complex in Lantana. The event is the grand finale of summer baseball tournaments happening in Palm Beach County, with more than 220 baseball games being played during the two-week stretch.
The World Scout League Finals will field 110 teams, comprising more than 1,700 athletes from across the nation, competing in five age groups: 18-U, 17-U, 16-U, 15-U and 14-U. The tournament is divided into three segments, with the remaining segments being 16-U and 15-U (now through Aug. 6) and 17-U (Aug. 6-10).
WSL created a new concept for travel baseball by establishing a league that is designed to provide consistent levels of competition for teams located in 40 different regions throughout the country.
WSL offers approximately 100 leagues (four to six teams) nationwide for the age groups 18-U, 17-U, 16-U, 15-U and 14-U. Teams participate in local, regional and national events within their league structure. By joining the league, teams commit to participating in the World Scout League Finals, which influence the high team participation numbers.
This tournament will be one of the largest scouting attractions to take place in the world of amateur baseball. Few scouting events offer athletes the opportunity to perform against competition that has a parallel talent level. This tournament is unique, featuring both wood composite bats for the older age groups (16-U to 18-U) and metal bats for the younger age groups (14-U and 15-U). Scouts will have an opportunity to see a wide array of age groups perform under conditions that form an immensely competitive environment and test skills that are necessary for the highest levels of baseball. More than 100 professional and college baseball scouts are expected to visit Palm Beach County because of the WSL finals.
Palm Beach County is home to many of the largest and most prestigious amateur baseball tournaments in the nation. However, this is the first national tournament to attract more than 100 teams over a two-week period during its inaugural year. WSL believes that more than 200 teams could easily be participating during its second year of existence in 2013.
The economic benefits for Palm Beach County will be significant. The event is expected to generate more than 2,000 hotel room nights and over $1.5 million in direct visitor spending for the local community.
The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is a private, not-for-profit organization contracted by Palm Beach County to promote and market the county as a sports and sports tourism destination. The commission brings sporting events and activities to the county, enhances economic impact, stimulates bed tax revenues (primarily in the off-season) and maximizes utilization of county facilities. The commission offers a full range of event service support, corporate partnerships, sponsorships and a local membership program that supports its goals. Local, regional, national and international marketing efforts are ongoing by the commission with sports organizations and event owners.
The commission also produces sports-related programs for the residents of Palm Beach County including the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame, the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award and the Kids Fitness Festival of the Palm Beaches. For more information, visit www.palmbeachsports.com.
