OCEAN CITY – With the USSSA Girls World Series kicking off this week, city officials have already taken a vote to approve funding to retain the event on the lower shore in 2016.
This year the three-legged series, featuring softball teams from all over the country, will run from July 15 to Aug. 1. The event traditionally draws close to 400 teams to the region and organizers anticipate the same level of participation this year. The 2014 event spanned three weeks and generated an estimated economic impact of $20 million and hotel room night demand in excess of 12,000 across the counties and Ocean City, according to fiscal reports.
Wicomico and Salisbury first hosted the USSSA Softball World Series in 2007 when just 58 teams competed. As the event grew over the years, it became evident Wicomico did not have the hotel rooms and amenities to support the event and last year a partnership was formed with the Town of Ocean City. The 2015 event will be billed under the Mid-Atlantic Amateur Sports Alliance (MAASA).
Just one day after the series opening ceremony last year, the Mayor and City Council voted to approve Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) funding to retain the USSSA Girls World Series this year, and on Tuesday afternoon TAB Chairman Greg Shockley came before the council following the same trend.
At the June 18 TAB meeting, the members voted unanimously to recommend funding Ocean City’s estimated share of the bid fee for the 2016 USSSA Girls World Series. Per the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Town and the counties, funding required to obtain events such as the series is shared by all parties in proportion to the hotel rooms booked within each jurisdiction. The funding ratio is 60 percent Wicomico County, 35 percent Ocean City and 5 percent Worcester County.
TAB funds have been approved the last two years to support the event. Ocean City’s share this year would come to $32,500, which would derive from TAB’s annual allocation from the Town of Ocean City of $300,000.
“As you know the USSSA Girls World Series is a large tournament that comes for three weeks played in Wicomico County, Worcester County and Ocean City. Ocean City derives a benefit from that not only in room nights but in food and admissions,” TAB Chairman Greg Shockley said.
Without discussion, the council voted unanimously to approve TAB funding Ocean City’s portion of the bid fee for the 2016 USSSA Girls World Series.