Happy Valley Poised to Capitalize on the Booming Youth Sports Industry
Chances are, you know someone—perhaps a family member—who plays youth sports and travels for competitions. According to Sports Destination Management, youth sports is one of the fastest-growing segments of the travel industry.
The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau (HVAB) is strategically prioritizing this premier visitation segment. In 2020, we hired a dedicated sports sales and marketing professional to drive these efforts. We're elevating our athletic facilities and destination on national platforms like Play Easy Sports. Our Sports Committee facilitates collaboration among community and university athletic stakeholders. The HVAB partners closely with venues, tournament organizers, hotels, and local officials to deliver exceptional experiences. Our team proactively follows up on leads and generates new ones to attract youth sports events to Happy Valley. Over the past year, interest in Centre County as a tournament destination has surged significantly. As a member of PA Sports, the HVAB boosts Pennsylvania's profile in this competitive market.
This heightened focus stems from a clear reality: youth sports is a vital economic driver, and Happy Valley is ideally positioned to emerge as a premier "tournament town."
Tournaments draw high volumes of visitors—athletes, spectators, and coaches—who fuel local spending on meals, lodging, attractions, and shopping. This segment offers immense potential to aid pandemic recovery and sustain hotel occupancy during shoulder periods like holidays, weekends, and off-peak months. Real impacts are already evident. This past summer, the HVAB safely hosted the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) for two week-long tournaments. The July event alone generated 250 room nights when hotels and restaurants needed the business most. The AJGA returns this summer. Recent Nike-affiliated basketball tournaments have elevated weekend occupancy to levels unseen since Penn State's move-in weekend in August. Five January-February events are projected to yield 2,500–3,000 room nights.
These events also raise Happy Valley's profile, introducing newcomers and encouraging repeat visitors to explore attractions, restaurants, and shops.
State-of-the-art venues are the cornerstone of sports tourism, and Happy Valley excels here with facilities like C3 Sports, Nittany Valley Sports Centre, YMCA pickleball courts, Hess and Oak Hall softball fields, and more. The Centre's Phase 2 expansion adds 57,000 square feet of indoor hardcourt space. Upcoming projects, such as the Whitehall Road softball fields, will further enhance our offerings.
Happy Valley's central Pennsylvania location—within a 3- to 4-hour drive of major East Coast cities—supports higher registrations and attendance.
As competition intensifies post-pandemic, the HVAB has laid strong groundwork to elevate our profile. With over 55 non-Penn State tournaments booked for 2021, Happy Valley is primed for success.
