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Impact Arizona

What is #ImpactArizona?

Serve Quietly. Impact Loudly.

01 / OUR STORY

It started with urgency.
It grew with heart.

More than 10,000 free COVID tests. Basketball courts inside hotel ballrooms. A commitment to keep showing up.

#ImpactArizona is how the Arizona Sports & Entertainment Commission puts its mission into action. What began as a community impact initiative now guides our work across every event, brand, and partnership. As an independent 501(c)(3), ASEC serves Arizona by attracting and supporting sporting events and expanding opportunity in youth and amateur sports.

Born during the COVID pandemic, #ImpactArizona began with urgency and heart. We provided more than 10,000 free COVID tests and built basketball courts inside hotel ballrooms for New Mexico State University men’s basketball and San Jose State University men’s and women’s basketball, helping their student athletes continue their seasons.

Today, #ImpactArizona stands as a powerful testament to how sports can uplift and unite communities. From bringing transformative events to Arizona to creating meaningful experiences that truly change lives, this approach reflects our unwavering commitment to serve quietly and impact loudly. We make a lasting difference for the people, places, and businesses of Arizona through the unifying power of sports.

We are so grateful for our incredible partners who help us go further. They see our vision, believe in our purpose, and help amplify the impact. For that, we are truly grateful.

The scale of the ASEC portfolio

A conservative estimate.
A growing impact.

Events operated, founded, recruited, and supported. A portfolio built to bring opportunity and economic activity to Arizona.

$263M

Estimated annual
economic impact

ASEC’s conservative annual estimate across its event portfolio, informed by participants, spectators, and hotel activity.

Source: ASEC management estimate

ASEC estimates its event portfolio generates $263 million in annual economic impact. The Rounds Consulting Group economic model is being applied across event years, with the full 2026 and 2027 portfolio model in progress. Figures will be updated as that work is completed.

Our approach to measurement
03 / EVENT SPOTLIGHT

Economic impact.

Section 7 Basketball Team Camp

April 2026 annual model profile
Includes boys, girls, and qualifiers

$70.1MModeled annual output
786Modeled jobs
$26.6MLabor income
$4.0MState and local taxes

Lori Piestewa National Native American Games

April 2026 annual model profile
Multiple sports, one event

$41.3MModeled annual output
463Modeled jobs
$15.7MLabor income
$3.2MState and local taxes

Source: Rounds Consulting Group, Inc., April 2026, page 7. Jobs, labor income, and taxes are separate measures and are not added to output.

These two flagship event models represent $111.4 million in combined economic output. ASEC is applying the Rounds Consulting Group model across its expanding portfolio for 2026 and 2027. Our approach to measurement
Section 7 · June 2026

National reach.
Real participation.

A snapshot of the teams, coaches, and hotel activity behind one ASEC event.

401Reported teams
603Verified college coaches
3,320Verified official block room nights
$430,931Verified block lodging revenue

Source: ASEC Section 7 reporting, summarized September 21, 2026. Hotel figures are EventConnect verified and cover the official hotel block only. The April economic model and these June event counts are identified separately by reporting period.

04 / THE ASEC PORTFOLIO

Events we produce.

Section 7 includes Boys, Girls, Boys Qualifier, and Native American Qualifier events. The 2027 plan introduces Weekend Warriors 3X3 in place of the previously planned Futures event. Future growth is not included in delivered event counts.

Athletes Unlimited Volleyball · Two years

They came to compete.
They stayed in Arizona.

ASEC recruited Athletes Unlimited Volleyball for two years. Its reported hosting footprint included a 52 day stay using 75 hotel rooms each night for staff and athletes alone.

That is 3,900 room nights per edition. Two editions at the same nightly footprint represent 7,800 room nights, before considering any additional spectator or other visitor stays.

52Nights per stay
75Rooms nightly
3,900Room nights per edition
7,800Across two comparable editions

Source: ASEC supplied hosting figures. Calculated as 52 occupied nights × 75 rooms. The two edition figure assumes that same occupancy in each year. These are room nights, not unique guests or a dollar estimate.

Championships and long term opportunity

More events.
More reasons to come.

Event studies, planning benchmarks, and founding legacy each show another part of ASEC’s reach.

Completed RCG event study · 2025$2.1M

Mountain West Baseball Championship

The tournament in Mesa produced an estimated $2,052,700 in economic output, alongside 23 modeled jobs, $779,200 in labor income, and $195,700 in state and local taxes.

Source: Rounds Consulting Group, August 8, 2025, Table 1. Rounded output shown above.
Founding legacy · Cumulative since 2015$100M+

The Arizona Bowl

ASEC was one of the founding partners of the Arizona Bowl. The Bowl reports more than $100 million in visitor economic impact since 2015.

Organizer reported cumulative event impact, shown separately from ASEC’s annual portfolio estimate.Explore the founding story
College baseball · 2025 Rounds event study

One championship.
Impact beyond the ballpark.

$2.1MEstimated economic output

Mountain West Baseball Championship

The 2025 championship brought six college baseball teams to Sloan Park in Mesa. Beyond the games, visiting teams and fans supported hotels, restaurants, transportation, retail, and other local businesses.

Rounds Consulting Group’s event study estimates $2,052,700 in total economic output, showing how championship travel creates activity throughout the host economy.

2,624Estimated hotel room nights
1,783Estimated visiting participants and attendees
23Modeled jobs supported
Annual employment equivalents

Visitors who stay. Spending that matters.

The study estimates 283 visiting players, coaches, and umpire staff, plus 1,500 accompanying visitors and attendees. These visitors brought outside spending into the region through lodging, dining, travel, and entertainment.

Hotel demand included 960 team room nights, 164 umpire staff room nights, and 1,500 attendee travel party room nights. Together, those stays account for the study’s 2,624 estimated room nights.

Team lodging data also indicated approximately two additional days in the area beyond the competition period used in the study, extending the opportunity for local spending.

How the impact moves through the economy.

$1,032,200 in direct economic output reflects the initial activity associated with the championship and visitor spending.

A further $1,020,500 in indirect and induced output reflects the next stages of that activity: businesses purchasing from suppliers and employees spending their earnings in the local economy.

The same analysis estimates $779,200 in labor income and 23 annual employment equivalents, including 16 supported directly and 7 through those secondary effects.

Swipe across the table to view the full breakdown.

2025 Mountain West Baseball Championship · Modeled impact
MeasureDirectIndirect and inducedTotal
Economic output$1,032,200$1,020,500$2,052,700
Labor income$449,000$330,200$779,200
Annual employment equivalents16723
State and local tax revenue$162,400$33,300$195,700

Revenue that supports public services.

The study estimates $195,700 in total state and local tax revenue, including sales, dining, lodging, income, and other modeled tax sources. That represents resources for the public services and infrastructure that support Arizona communities.

City of Mesa
$95,000
Maricopa County
$29,500
State of Arizona
$71,200

Source: Rounds Consulting Group, 2025 Mountain West Championship Economic Impact, August 8, 2025, pages 2 through 6, Tables 1 through 3. Amounts are in 2025 dollars. Visitor counts, room nights, and economic impacts are estimates. Jobs are annual employment equivalents, not a count of permanent positions created by ASEC. Labor income and taxes are separate measures, not amounts added to economic output.

Arizona youth sports · Statewide industry

A larger sports economy.

ASEC contributes to a statewide youth sports economy that Rounds Consulting Group estimates at $3.9 billion in annual economic output.

$3.9B

Entire Arizona youth sports industry.
Separate from ASEC’s portfolio impact.

Statewide source: Rounds Consulting Group, Economic Impact of Youth and Amateur Sports in Arizona, April 2026, pages 5 and 6.

Media visibility · Documented reporting

Measured with
Meltwater.

ASEC uses Meltwater, a global media intelligence platform, to monitor coverage and document media impressions across its events and brands.

ASEC verifies its reported media figures against its Meltwater reports and retains the supporting documentation for partner reporting. Every reported metric is tied to its source report and reporting period.

Media visibility and economic impact tell complementary stories. We report them separately, using the metric names in the supporting reports.

ASEC’s media measurement and verification process, as confirmed by ASEC management.

About Meltwater
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Every dollar you contribute fuels the events, programs, and community initiatives that make Arizona a premier destination for youth and amateur sports. Your support creates jobs, drives tourism, and transforms lives across the state.

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