- December 18, 2025
Sports complex draws thousands of out-of-town visitors.
Tourism and chamber of commerce people often talk about drawing visitors, and the impact of events on the area’s economy. Bike Week, the races at the Speedway and the smaller events make cash registers ring throughout the area.
Ormond Beach has its own draw, the Ormond Beach Sports Complex. With the number of tournaments, including softball, baseball and soccer for all the various leagues and age groups, the Leisure Services department estimates that people from out of town visit the sports complex more than 100,000 times over a one-year period.
League organizers and city officials say it’s the quality of the facilities that attract sporting tournaments to the city.
“I think it has a larger economic impact than people realize,” said Robert Carolin, leisure services director for the city. “It’s hard to determine. You don’t know for sure where people will eat or where they will stay, but it would make sense to stay in Ormond Beach,”
Organizers often arrange for teams to stay at local hotels, including Anne-Marie Zwiefel of the Ormond Beach Lady Renegades fast-pitch softball league. She gets discounts at local hotels and restaurants for the visitors.
She said teams from throughout the state travel to the sports complex six times a year, with an average of 40 teams for each tournament.
“It’s one of the best facilities in the state,” she said, speaking of the sports complex. She said being able to place teams in beachside hotels is also a draw for the participants.
In their June tournament, over a weekend, the tournament involved 50 teams, and only six were local, she reported. Of the 750 players, only 7% were Ormond Beach residents.
Using a guestimate, based on the participants eating two meals a day in restaurants, and bringing a couple of family members, she came up with an estimated economic impact for the weekend of $9,000.
Babe Ruth Baseball also had a tournament for four days in June, bringing 360 players to the town, and only 17% were Ormond Beach residents.
When told the estimated economic impact was $6,000, organizer Doug Wigley said that sounded low, because the teams travel with families.
“If you have a Friday night and a Saturday game, it makes sense to stay overnight,” he said. “But they are all eating here and spending money.”
Wigley said it’s a “no-brainer” for leagues to have their tournaments at the sports complex.
“The facilities are second to none,” he said.
City Manager Joyce Shanahan said the city sports complex is the best facility she has seen.
“I continue to be amazed,” she said. “It’s great to be able to showcase our city.”
