OTTAWA-The 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship was a resounding success on and off the field in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Team Canada played its way to a fourth place finish in front of capacity crowds each game at Port Arthur Stadium.
Last month, at the Baseball Canada Fall Convention in Winnipeg, Warren Philip Executive Director of the Thunder Bay International Baseball Association (TBIBA) presented a cheque to Baseball Canada President Ray Carter which represented some of the revenue generated from the event.
Below is the Press Release from the TBIBA outlining some of the successes from the tournament.
A presentation by the Thunder Bay International Baseball Association to City Council on Monday night that included game tapes, photos, and audited financial statements focused on the successes of last year’s tournament and outlined a plan for dealing with the surplus that the event generated.
“Based on a number of factors including great weather, great awareness, reasonable ticket prices, and the fantastic success of Team Canada, we had between 45,000 and 50,000 people attend this event. Together with the generous support of sponsors, we achieved a surplus for this event and the economic impact that was generated for the City of Thunder Bay and surrounding region is estimated to be between 6 and 7 million dollars”, indicated TBIBA’s Treasurer Doug Heath.
Warren Philp, Executive Director for the organization, spoke about the organization’s plans for the surplus. “As per our agreement with Baseball Canada prior to hosting this event, we presented to them a cheque for over $47,000 which represented their share of the revenue that was generated. In addition to keeping a reserve fund to help us organize future events, we’ve also started a local Baseball Development Fund as per our organization’s mandate. We are happy to announce that our first recipient is Pro Kids, who will be receiving $5,000 earmarked for youth baseball programs. Every year, a new candidate will be chosen and presented with funds to assist local baseball development programs in Thunder Bay. The candidates are chosen based on an application process, which we are in the process of marketing now.”
Philp and Heath presented to the City a framed photo in appreciation of the support that was given to host this event and spoke about the legacy that the games have left. “Baseball Central and Port Arthur Stadium both received hundreds of thousands of dollars in capital upgrades for this event. This city can be proud, knowing it has two baseball complexes that are World class facilities.
Philp also spoke about a presentation made to the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Included with that presentation will be the donation of various items from the tournament, including game tapes.
For more information on the 2010 IBAF World Junior Baseball Championship, go to www.worldbaseball2010.com.
For more information:
Warren Philp
Executive Director
472- 1842(cell)
wphilp@tbaytel.net
