Chattanooga Might Make Future Bid For Spring Fling

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV)  The city of Chattanooga currently hosts such sporting events as Ironman, and the high school football state championship games.
But could their sports foot-print get even bigger.

Tim Morgan of Chattanooga tourism, and Brian Wright of Finely Stadium, spoke at Thursday’s Rotary Club meeting, and later with News 12’s Brian Amrstrong.

Said Morgan of the football state title games played at Finley Stadium:”It generates over 3 million of economic activity in December, which is traditionally a lighter period.”

Tim Morgan and Brian Wright are working on potentially bringing spring fling back to Chattanooga.

Said Morgan:”I was actually up in Murfreesboro checking out their infrastructure on how spring fling is conducted there and figuring out how we can be that championship environment for these high school state championships.”

Spring fling would be shown a road map as Chattanooga has hosted the past three Blue Cross Bowls for the state football titles. And Morgan says he knows the teams want to come back.

Said Morgan:”Our local athletes, something to aspire to compete in. So it’s not just about the economic activity. It’s also about the social prosperity.”

Said Wright:”We make it a huge deal. When you drive into Chattanooga for the Blue Cross Bowl, you know that that’s the biggest game going on in town.

Wright says one of the reasons for the success of Finley is because even though the stadium was built with the Chattanooga Mocs in mind, it goes beyond that.

Said Wright:”We’re also home to the Chattanooga Football Club, which started as a summer league team  that is now in the professional ranks. But we can also morph into major events like the Blue Cross Bowl, like a Kane Brown concert and others and serve all those interests that our community is looking for. “

With success means there needs to be stadium upgrades, such as replacing 26 year old elevators and stadium lights.

Said Wright:”New LED fixtures that will once again meet national broadcast standards so that working in conjunction with Chattanooga Tourism, we can go after national broadcast of major events.”

As sports tourism rises in Chattanooga, it raises the amount of revenue being brought into the city on a short term basis due to tourism spending, but also potential long term revenue.

Said Morgan:”People have traveled in to watch their Ironman athlete compete in Chattanooga and have decided to retire here.”