City of Morgan Hill Bikeways, Trails, Parks and Recreation Master Plan

Section 6: Participatory Sports Trends | May 2017 Sports Market Business Strategy – Morgan Hill, CA PAGE 96

useful to accommodate large tourism-generating events. We are aware of at least two new hotel projects for the market.

 Several comments were made regarding the lack of cooperation among local stakeholders when past events were held. Some mentioned the need for a sports commission or tourism bureau. This agency could develop a long-term tourism strategy and coordinate tourism efforts to attract events. During our conversations we were informed of an area of opportunity for the development of a Sand Volleyball facility. The sport of Sand Volleyball has always been a popular recreational activity for all ages, but it has recently seen significant growth at the youth level due to the sanctioning of the sport by the NCAA and the International Olympic Committee. With college scholarships now available, the sport is becoming more popular throughout the country and there is a lack of dedicated facilities – particularly on the west coast. Figures 6-4 provides the participation rates for Sand Volleyball throughout different regions of the U.S. The highest number participants and participation rates are in the East North Central and West North Central regions, with above average participation rates in the South Atlantic and Pacific regions. The popularity of the sport in the Pacific region provides additional justification for the primary focus of a potential Sand Volleyball facility in Morgan Hill. Furthermore, the popularity of the sport in colder regions of the country – West North Central and East North Central, in particular – means that a dedicated facility in Morgan Hill could attract teams from those colder climates during the winter months for week-long practice trips, clinics and tournaments.

Figure 6 – 4

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