Since its inception, San Antonio Sports has been an active and influential organization in the city of San Antonio. Our events have generated more than $357 million in visitor spending for our community and hundreds of thousands of local children have been impacted through its sports and fitness programs. 2009 marked the 25-year anniversary of the San Antonio Sports Foundation. We celebrated with a new name—San Antonio Sports—and a new look.
In 1984, Mayor Henry Cisneros expressed his desire to establish a greater sports presence in San Antonio. Supported in part by the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, an independent nonprofit sports commission was formed to bid on premier amateur athletic events. The 1989 AAU Junior Olympics was the San Antonio Sports Foundation’s first major event, followed by the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival, three NCAA® Men's Final Four® championships (1998, 2004, and 2008), two Women’s Final Fours (2002 and 2010) and the NCAA Div. I Women’s Volleyball Championship (2005). In 2008, the NCAA bestowed on San Antonio its first “Championship City” designation. The Championship City program will feature multiple host opportunities of NCAA Division I, II and III men’s and women’s championships through the year 2012.
Other major sporting events pursued and hosted by San Antonio Sports include the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon and ½ Marathon, the TAAF Games of Texas, the largest multi-sporting event in the state, All Can Ski, the largest waterskiing clinic for people with physical disabilities in the United States, and the Big 12 Women’s Soccer Championship.
San Antonio Sports has also taken a leadership role in the creation of new facilities, such as the Alamodome and the world-class natatorium at Palo Alto College, and helped with the successful 2007 city and 2008 county bond campaigns to build new sports fields and facilities.
Aside from hosting major sporting events, San Antonio Sports creates sporting opportunities for San Antonio youth. Since 1993, San Antonio Sports has touched 260,000 children through its programs.
San Antonio Sports continues to host high profile events because of our professional expertise and commitment to sports and fitness activities for San Antonio. San Antonio Sports impacts the community by involving volunteers, youth, amateur, and professional athletes, and by bringing a significant economic influx to the city of more than $357 million over the past two decades. With a strong board of directors comprised of 50 of San Antonio’s most prominent citizens, San Antonio Sports continues to be a vital part of the San Antonio community.
