MLK Kickoff Classic Serves Up $6 Million to York County Economy | Sports Destination Management

MLK Kickoff Classic Serves Up $6 Million to York County Economy

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Jan 17, 2020

The Martin Luther King Kickoff Classic Volleyball Tournament returns for the eighth year this weekend, bringing thousands of athletes and spectators to York County. This event has grown over the past year, with almost one thousand additional athletes participating in 2020. Those additional participants mean additional economic impact for the county. This event is anticipated to serve up just over $6 million in economic benefits for the community, a more than $2 million increase from 2019.

Hundreds of teams featuring high school-aged female athletes from across the East Coast, Midwest, Puerto Rico, and Canada will compete Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with venues spread across Lancaster and York counties. York County will host 200 of those teams at the York Expo Center’s Arena.

This is the eighth straight year York County has served as one of the host locations for the tournament. The MLK Kickoff Classic began in Philadelphia in 1995, later moved to Lancaster County and expanded in 2012 to include play in York County. 

The mission of Pennsylvania Sports is to attract and host international, national, regional and local sporting events, and showcase Pennsylvania as a viable sports event destination for professional, collegiate, interscholastic, amateur, and youth sporting ventures, which will foster economic development, and enrich the quality of life in the Commonwealth, making it a better place to visit, live, work, and play.

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