HERSHEY HARRISBURG REGION NAMED TOP MINOR LEAGUE MARKET

Release Date: Sep 29, 2009

Harrisburg, PA (Sept. 21, 2009) – Mary Smith, President of the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau today announced the region was recently named the nation's top minor league market by Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal, a national publication geared toward business executives in the sports industry.

Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal selected the Hershey Harrisburg region from among 239 competing American cities that have minor league teams but no major league presence. The rankings were based upon markets and teams' attendance over the past five years, tenures and local economics.

"I think it's a point of pride, and a significant accomplishment for the loyal fan-base in this region," said Smith. “We have consistently been in the running; ranking third in 2005 and second in 2007, so we were confident we were due for the top slot eventually.”

The region is home to a host of minor league franchises including Hershey Bears hockey, Harrisburg Senators baseball, City Islanderssoccer, the new Harrisburg Stampede indoor football team, Harrisburg Horizon basketball, Central Penn Piranha football, South Central Yard Dawgs football, Central PA Vipers women’s football, and for a time the Harrisburg Heat indoor soccer team. The region also takes great pride in its sports heritage dating back to the 1930’s era negro league team, the Harrisburg Giants; and a variety of sports competitions including the Tour DuPont and Tour De Trump cycling races, Keystone State Games for six years, and the LPGA Duramed FUTURES Tour Turkey Hill Classic in 2009.

###

About the Bureau

The Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau (HHRVB) is the official non-profit partnership-based Convention & Visitors Bureau serving Dauphin and Perry Counties in Pennsylvania’s Dutch Country Roads Region. HHRVB is committed to actively marketing the region locally, domestically, and internationally to leisure and business travelers, event organizers, and group tour leaders in order to stimulate the local economy and support tourism-related jobs. For more information on this organization and the region, visit HersheyHarrisburg.org, email: Info@HersheyHarrisburg.org, or call 877-727-8573.

Back to Top