S-E-C WOMEN'S SOCCER FINISHED A
WEEK-LONG TOURNAMENT IN
ORANGE BEACH TODAY. THE FLORIDA
GATORS GO HOME WITH A
CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE, BEATING
AUBURN THREE TO ZERO.
BUT UNDERPINNING THE WEEKLONG
EVENT WAS THE ECONOMIC IMPACT IT
PROVIDED TO THE GULF COAST.
FOX10 NEWS REPORTER JOE
SAL-VA-TORE HAS THAT STORY.
< The Gator women may be
leaving Alabama with a win, but
the real winners are the
businesses and
state that hosted the event.
We're the biggest tourist engine
for the state of Alabama because
people will come here in Baldwin
County and Mobile County ...
They will come here and they
will stay and
ultimately that tax dollar goes
back to Montgomery our state
capitol and it filters back
to all the counties and all the
various funds. Grimes, a city
administrator with the city
of Orange Beach, says the city
invests about $15,000 to host
S-E-C soccer.
He says it's an investment that
returns ten-fold.
The big picture issue we get is
the exposure, national
television.
A National sports cable network
covered the S-E-C tournament.
Grimes says the network coverage
targets S-E-C markets and others
for future and on-going
tourism.
So it's worked out really well,
and here we are in November,
weather's beautiful much better
than
in a majority of these cities
where there based. Grimes also
says, the S-E-C collegiate and
youth sports players come to
Orange Beach as kids and return
later with their own families to
add to its economy.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ORANGE
BEACH? Orange Beach is awesome
because I
thought it had Orange sand, but
it doesn't.
I spend as much time on the
beach as I can and of course I
hit the outlet mall and spend
just a little bit
of money. Kari Kerns daughter
is a University of Florida
alumnus; they've been coming to
Orange Beach since 2005.
My goal, when I retire is: I'm
going to have a condo on the
beach here. Orange Beach hosts
the S-E-C women's soccer
tournament for the next three
years with an option
to extend the agreement. This
is its ninth year to host the
event. In Orange Beach, Joe
Salvatore Fox Ten News.
ORANGE BEACH WILL ALSO HOST THE
N-A-I-A WOMEN'S SOCCER
TOURNAMENT, RUNNING FROM
