Springfield to host high school sports championships

The Missouri State High School Activities Association selected Springfield as host city for 11 state championship games over the next seven years.

After not hosting the state championships for either sport in more than 20 years, Missouri State University facilities will be home to the 2016 state football championship game this fall, followed by championship games for boys and girls basketball 2018-2022.

The state’s governing body for high school competitive activities chose the Queen City based on a bid submitted by the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Springfield Sports Commission, which the CVB manages.

CVB President and CEO Tracy Kimberlin said the proposal included specifics on facility rental and hotel room rates, as well as the costs associated with staffing the events.

“It did come down to dollars and cents, so included in our proposal was a considerable amount of sponsorship dollars from partners,” Kimberlin said, adding sponsorship totals for each year of the basketball games was $80,000, while no financial incentives were offered for the fall football game.

Supporting companies and organizations include the city of Springfield, Greene County, Elliott Lodging Ltd., John Q. Hammons Hotels and Resorts, O’Reilly Hospitality Management LLC, Chevy Dealers of the Ozarks Inc. and Buffalo Wild Wings along with the CVB and Springfield Sports Commission.

Attendance is expected to reach 25,000 for the fall football championship, while 40,000 are expected during each of the five years the city hosts the 10 basketball games.

“We feel confident that visitors and spectators will spend at least $2.5 million each year of the basketball championships,” Kimberlin said.

Kimberlin said the city’s history as a previous host of high school state championships, as well as the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions and the National Christian HomeSchool Basketball Championships, were factors that influenced the decision to host the games in Springfield.

Although Springfield’s history as a host for state championships dates back to 1939, the city hasn’t hosted state basketball championships since 1985-91 at the Hammons Student Center. The University of Missouri-Columbia has hosted those games since 1992.

Springfield most recently hosted the state football games 1988-95 in the Robert W. Plaster Sports Complex, formerly Briggs Stadium. Since 1996, the championships have been held at the Edward Jones Dome - now the Dome at America's Center - in downtown St. Louis.