As a young organization, the Durham Sports Commission is still experiencing many exciting firsts.
This past fiscal year, we owned and operated our first national championship, the 2019 USA Track & Field National Youth Outdoor Championships – Durham’s first national track and field championship since Duke University hosted NCAAs in 2000. With such a strong track and field community in Durham, I am proud of DSC’s work to win the bid and host an event of such size and stature in the first three years of our existence. Without a sports commission, the community could have gone another 20 years without such an opportunity. We also happened to do all of it in style, as USATF often remarked that they hadn’t seen any other host destinations do some of the things we dreamed up and executed.
Some of the nation’s best athletes traveled to Durham to compete during the event on June 25-30 at the Durham County Memorial Stadium. And, Durham’s best local talent was able to stay home and compete against the best – with many athletes from Bull City Express, Triangle Champions Track Club and the Durham Striders finding their way atop the podium.
In addition to hosting the USATF National Youth Outdoor Championships, we're pleased to report that after three years of incredible success as a new organization, the parties who support the DSC – the City of Durham, Durham County, Durham Chamber of Commerce and Discover Durham – have turned their original pilot agreement into a permanent plan for supporting the DSC and ensuring its success for the future. The confidence and longevity of the agreement allows for more flexibility for DSC and includes built-in growth, enabling staff to bid on and plan for events as far out into the future as makes sense. For a young organization, there could be no better news.
With the new agreement, we know we’ll be able to help more organizations like The Durham Senior Long Ball team that won and organized a Mid-Atlantic Regional tournament serviced by DSC – the first tournament in 30 years that Major League Baseball hosted in North Carolina. We’ll welcome and host events like ACC Baseball FanFest again in the future. We’ll be able to partner with more cutting-edge organizations to host more esports like the Triangle eSports Championship that took place for the first time in February. We will continue to champion Durham for years to come.
Thank you, sports fans and community members, for all that you do in support of the Durham Sports Commission and our vision. I encourage you to follow the DSC on social media (@DurhamNCSports), visit the website, or call the office to keep in touch. We know our efforts to showcase Durham as a premier sports destination rely heavily upon our community’s support and we welcome your feedback and ideas. We look forward to hearing from you.
George Habel
Chairman
VP/Special Projects
Capitol Broadcasting Co.
Terrence Holt
Vice Chairman
President
Holt Brothers, Inc.
Susan Scott
Secretary/Treasurer
Chief Advancement & Marketing Officer
UNC-TV
Omar Beasley
Immediate Past Chair
Self Employed
Mitch Moser
Deputy Director of Athletics/CFO
Duke University
Dan Hill
Founder
Hill, Chesson and Woody
Tommy Hunt
Retired
Former ACC Referee & Supervisor of ACC Football Officials
Bill Kalkhof
Retired
former CEO of Downtown Durham Inc.
Ingrid Wicker-McCree
Director of Athletics
NCCU
USATF
Families, fans and athletes from across the country descended upon Durham to compete in Durham’s first-ever national championship meet. The Durham Sports Commission worked tirelessly with Durham County Memorial Stadium officials and staff to promote, host, and manage the USATF National Youth Outdoor Championships, coordinating with media and the national governing body to keep athletes safe and produce record-breaking results.
Longball
The Durham Senior Long Ball team won the Mid-Atlantic Regional tournament hosted this past summer in Durham! The team then flew to Florida to participate in the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) World Series from August 4th-9th. This is the first time in 30 years that Major League Baseball has hosted a regional tournament in North Carolina.
e-sports
The Kramden Institute, Triangle Literacy Council, Capitol Broadcasting Company, Sony and Lenovo partnered with the Durham Sports Commission to host the Triangle eSports Championship (TEC).
TEC 2019 took place at the Durham Armory on February 10th and brought together thousands of esports enthusiasts and gamers to compete against one another in the Triangle’s first charitable gaming tournament of its kind. Hundreds of participants and spectators, along with a significantly larger number of online/streaming viewers participated.
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Advisory Committee
As the DSC works towards building a more pervasive sports culture in Durham, it has relied heavily on the work and input of its Advisory Committee. Through quarterly meetings, members from all corners of the community have discussed and provided input on the future and importance of sports in Durham as well as guidance on how the sports commission can be more effective.
ACC Baseball FanFest
Like last year, DSC owned and operated ACC Baseball FanFest this past May, bringing together the community for a free, family-friendly street festival. The team coordinated dozens of vendors, led marketing efforts, and collaborated with stakeholders to ensure both locals, visitors, athletes and fans had an incredible time.
9% Events
58% dIscover Durham
14% City of Durham
19% Durham County
As the DSC owned and operated its first national championship, a higher percentage of annual expenses was dedicated to hosting events this fiscal year. More than 45% of all expenses directly supported events that occurred in Durham.
2% Encumbered for future events
4% Facility Rentals
6% Sales & Services
11% Grants
15% Marketing & Promotions
29% Events
34% Operations
