Council Bluffs, IA, Is a Haven for Youth Sports
With a welcoming environment and top-notch athletic venues, Council Bluffs, IA, has proven to be a haven for youth sports. And thanks to the vast tournaments that many of the venues host, area hotels, restaurants and retail shops feel the positive impact of nonresident spending.
Read on to learn more about what makes this region a prime spot for youth sports and the venues and events that draw crowds.
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Mid-America Center
The Mid-America Center always has something going on. It hosts youth wrestling and basketball tournaments, 10 dance competitions and six cheer competitions annually.
With people coming from throughout the Midwest, Mark Vacanti, the center’s general manager, says many are fans of the Council Bluffs area. One thing they love is the region’s ease of mobility. Getting in and out of the area via Council Bluffs Municipal Airport is easy, and for those driving, the Mid-America Center is just off Interstates 29 and 80.
“It makes travel easy,” Vacanti says.
The Mid-America Center even has international visitors for the Yonex U.S. Open Badminton Championships, which have been held twice at the Mid-America Center in the past three years.
Each year, the facility rolls out the wrestling mats for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Wrestling Championships. This event draws thousands of people each day.
“We take a lot of pride in it,” Vacanti says. “The NJCAA is really happy with our facility, and we are centrally located in the country.”
Many of the events hosted by the Mid-America Center span multiple days, which provides a real boost to the local economy.
“It gives people time to explore the community and check out our restaurants, bars and casinos,” Vacanti says of the events.
Iowa West Field House
Located right next to the Mid- America Center is the Iowa West Field House. It hosts dozens of youth basketball tournaments and a handful of youth volleyball tournaments each year.
Amenities enjoyed by visitors during weekends are also enjoyed by local teams on weekdays.
“The events that we host on the weekend allow us to provide community use time during the week at no cost to many local organizations,” says Aaron Byers, general manager of Iowa West Field House. “We are booked every day during the week with local sports organizations, high schools and middle schools who use the facility for their practices and games. This has had a huge impact on the community with the amount of teams we can provide court time to on a weekly basis.”
The Field House hosts the Adidas 3SSB high school basketball tournament, which draws many of the top 50 high school players in the nation to the area. And following those players to watch are major college coaches and even NBA players.
Byers says Council Bluffs is known as a great place to host sports, and the amenities surrounding the Field House add to the experience.
“The area around the Field House has many hotels, restaurants, a movie theater and many more entertainment options that allow people to not only enjoy their time here but also in the area around the Field House,” Byers says.
Council Bluffs Recreation Complex and Iowa West Field House host a wide variety of sporting events.
“With all of the options for our guests, as well as the amount of parking in the area, many of our events are recurring because the organizations that host the events and fans who attend love coming to Council Bluffs.”
Council Bluffs Recreation Complex
The massive Council Bluffs Recreation Complex is a go-to for outdoor sporting events.
With 77 acres of athletic fields and amenities, the Recreation Complex stays busy, especially during warmer months. It boasts 10 soccer fields, seven softball fields, four football fields and three baseball fields.
“That complex is a luxury to have for our city and our parks and recreation department,” says Dan Bettmann, recreation and events manager with Council Bluffs Parks and Recreation Department, which operates the complex.
The biggest event of the year for the Recreation Complex is the multiweek Triple Crown’s SlumpBuster baseball tournament in June, which Council Bluffs hosts with neighboring Omaha. As many as 42 states have been represented at the event.
“SlumpBuster takes over the entire complex, and it’s a big deal for our community,” Bettmann says.
From Easter through the end of July, every weekend is booked with major softball and baseball tournaments at the complex, plus Bettmann says they host soccer tournaments, as well.
Cha-Ching
Amateur sporting events provide a powerful economic boost for the Council Bluffs area.
In fiscal year 2024, 10 amateur sporting events attracted 109,136 athletes, spectators and officials and generated 8,590 hotel room night stays at Council Bluffs properties, according to numbers provided by the Council Bluffs Convention & Visitors Bureau. These sports included volleyball, wrestling, basketball, baseball and badminton.
While this does not reflect the total number of tournaments and events in Council Bluffs, it does indicate the impact that just 10 of these have on the region. The economic impact from the hotel stays for these 10 events represented nearly $878,000 in business.
Get To Know Council Bluffs
Learn more about working and living in Council Bluffs, IA, by visiting livability.com/council-bluffs.