{"id":2230,"date":"2026-06-19T19:07:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T19:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2230"},"modified":"2026-06-19T19:07:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T19:07:57","slug":"utah-became-a-rising-powerhouse-for-sports-tourism-and-shows-no-signs-of-slowing-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2230","title":{"rendered":"Utah became a rising powerhouse for sports tourism \u2014 and shows no signs of slowing down"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Utah has exploded onto the sports scene in recent years, and Salt Lake County is at the epicenter of that success. <\/p>\n

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Sports Business Journal recently ranked Salt Lake City as the 12th best sports business city of 2026, beating out six of the 11 U.S. cities hosting a World Cup match this summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got an amazing reputation now across the world for a place to host phenomenal sports events,\u201d president of Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC John Kimball told the crowd Wednesday at Visit Salt Lake\u2019s fifth annual Sports Tourism Symposium.<\/p>\n

He listed the Winter Olympics and the Korean and Bosnia and Herzegovina national teams training at the teams\u2019 facilities ahead of and during this summer\u2019s FIFA World Cup as proof. <\/p>\n

According to Kimball, the state\u2019s high altitude, Salt Lake City International Airport and \u201cjust how we host people\u201d are key factors to the state\u2019s reputation as a premier sports destination.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are now identifying Utah as an amazing place to come and train and to be treated well,\u201d Kimball said. \u201c(Inter) Miami mentioned us in the press that this was one of the best facilities that they\u2019d ever come to, that they\u2019ve been treated so well. So to get that kind of recognition from world-class teams, it just speaks volumes of who we are and how we handle people in our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s driving Utah\u2019s sports tourism success?<\/h3>\n

In addition to its Sports Business Journal ranking, Salt Lake City\u2019s sports tourism reputation grew after Sports Salt Lake, a division of Visit Salt Lake, was named Sports Events & Tourism Association\u2019s Sports Tourism Organization of the Year in April.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2025, we hosted 86 events, welcomed more than 525,000 attendees, filled hotels with 327,000 room nights, and generated an economic impact of over $193 million,\u201d president and CEO of Visit Salt Lake Kaitlin Eskelson said in her opening remarks. \u201cThose are big numbers. Those numbers represent real benefits for real people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Utah also boasts nearly 25 venues that can host sporting events, according to Clay Partain, chief sports officer of Visit Salt Lake.<\/p>\n

While home to NBA, NHL, MLS and NWSL teams, the majority of Utah\u2019s sports tourism success can be attributed to youth sports, and the same can be said nationwide. <\/p>\n

The Sports Events and Tourism Association\u2019s 2026 report found that over 64% of the sports tourism industry was driven by youth and amateur tournaments, or participatory sports, according to Partain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are the parents traveling with little Susie to come play in her volleyball tournament at the convention center, or little Billy that\u2019s going to play for three days at his baseball tournament. These are actually quietly bringing billions of dollars into the country,\u201d Partain said.<\/p>\n

Utah\u2019s growing professional sports scene has helped the state attract and host various youth tournaments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe amenities and the assets that you have, the professional teams that you have are a great drawing tool to get more tournaments and events,\u201d Partain said.<\/p>\n

Partain pointed to the success of Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC and the excitement around the sport of soccer with the U.S. hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup. <\/p>\n

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Utah already hosted the MLS Next Cup earlier this summer, and over the next month, it will also host the U.S. Youth Soccer Presidents Cup and U.S. Youth Soccer Boys National Championships, which Partain described as \u201cthe biggest youth soccer tournament that the state of Utah and Salt Lake have ever seen.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re talking about thousands of hotel room nights, hundreds of teams over the course of two weekends. So, very exciting,\u201d Partain said.<\/p>\n

A growing home for elite women\u2019s sports<\/h3>\n

The Utah Talons of Athletes Unlimited Softball League, Utah\u2019s third professional women\u2019s sports team, began play last week.<\/p>\n

In its inaugural 2025 season, the AUSL utilized a touring model with its four teams playing in 12 cities, including Salt Lake City, across the country. <\/p>\n

But the league decided to move away from that model and establish permanent home markets for its six teams in 2026. Salt Lake City was chosen as one of them, becoming home to the inaugural AUSL champions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe came here intentionally and on purpose,\u201d Sarah Padove, AUSL\u2019s senior director of public affairs, said during the women\u2019s sports panel. \u201cThere is a very real infrastructure on the youth side, robust programming and strong support locally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Utah was already home to the NWSL\u2019s Utah Royals FC, currently ranked second in the league, and League One Volleyball\u2019s LOVB Salt Lake, which made it to this season\u2019s LOVB Championship.<\/p>\n

Padove said the Talons are \u201creaping some of the benefits of the work\u201d done by the Royals and LOVB Salt Lake to create the \u201cexisting women\u2019s sports ecosystem\u201d in Salt Lake County.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an awesome market, and just, I have no doubt it\u2019s going to continue to soar,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

All three of Utah\u2019s professional women\u2019s sports will be represented at the 2028 Olympics with the return of softball to the Olympic stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just such a unique market, right? I mean, you are talking a decade-plus, give or take, of opportunity that is ripe for growth and success here between the women\u2019s pro sports ecosystem, 2028 with volleyball, soccer and softball in the Summer Olympics, right?\u201d Padove said. \u201cThat leading into what\u2019s happening here in 2034, no other market has that.\u201d <\/p>\n

Teams and communities can capitalize on that momentum through connecting Utah\u2019s professional female athletes with their fans, especially youth, according to Courtney Thompson, LOVB\u2019s vice president of athlete and coach experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think as we\u2019re leaning into both the LA Olympics and then (the 2034 Olympics) here, the more that we can foster that as a community and do it better than anywhere else in the country \u2014 to be inclusive, to connect with other leagues, celebrate other athletes \u2014 I think that\u2019s going to serve us very well,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

LOVB Salt Lake\u2019s 2026 season concluded in April, and the Utah Royals are on a midseason break but resume play in Chicago on July 5. Until then, Utah women\u2019s sports fans can support the Utah Talons by attending games at the University of Utah\u2019s Dumke Family Softball Stadium before the regular season ends July 19.<\/p>\n

Read more Senate proceeds with housing bill, hopes to send it back to House soon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Top sports cities in the U.S. Utah professional sports teams. Visit Salt Lake’s Sports Tourism Symposium. 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