A sporting chance

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Visit Corpus Christi is turning its attention to a different breed of tourist.

The newly created Corpus Christi Sports Commission was presented during a press conference on Monday morning.

The Commission is described as a separate brand arm and department within Visit Corpus Christi.

Joey Jewell, who received a degree in sports management from UT in Austin, will become executive director of the Corpus Christi Sports Commission.

The commission will have different formats.

Jewell says there will be an advocacy portion that will focus on facility and venue development.

Another focus is on improving infrastructure to create sports venues and increase participation.

Another big part of their mission will be to support and grow local sporting events.

That’s not all they will do.

“We will also go out and bid on outside sporting events to bring to the area and then help support and grow our local sporting events that are already happening here, which we know there’s a lot already happening by we’re just adding our expertise and hope they’ll be able to capitalize on that and bring more visitors to our area,” Jewell said.

Jewell also said that spectators and sports participants are the kind of tourists they will attract here.

He says that when a kid or teenager comes here for a tournament, they want their family to come here too.

Jewell says the commission wants to attract all kinds of sporting events: “For us, everything is on the table. Nothing too small, nothing too big. Ideally, we will go for the biggest of the big. They know we want to make sure that.” We get events that come in here that are community fit and that we have the infrastructure for, and for those that we don’t have, we will work to build the infrastructure for those .”

A large part of the Commission’s mission will be to support local events.

Speaking about the kind of people he wants to reach out to, Jewell said: “For the entrepreneurs out there who are running tournaments or invites, we want to be able to reach out to them and tell them we’re an added resource to you , we are free resource for you. Whether it’s logistical, whether it’s through sponsorships, whether it’s just through making connections through the community, we want to make sure they’re healthy and prosperous and will continue to grow so we see that the tourism aspect comes out of it .”