Sparta, IL -(AmmoLand.com)- Southwick Associates’ recent economic report of the 2015 SSSF National Championship at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Ill., June 12-18, 2015, is further proof that sporting events can serve as powerful economic drivers in communities across the nation.
Southwick Associates, a market research and economics firm specializing in the hunting, shooting, sportfishing, and outdoor recreation markets, found that contributions from the event to the Illinois GDP totaled $15,797,787. Tax revenues generated $3,960,917, and 245 jobs were supported in the state.
The report indicates that in addition to the 2,600 scholastic shooters who participated in the National Championship, 4,000 parents and 600 coaches also attended. The competitors, parents, and coaches each spent an average of $1,429 on event fees and other costs (food, travel, lodging, etc.). This spending made measurable contributions to the Illinois economy.
Southwick Associates and the NSSF garnered this information through an online survey conducted between July 24 and August 14, 2015. The survey was designed to characterize spending and participation of competitors and others attending the SSSF National Championship. Of the 7,200 competitors, parents, and coaches at the event, 824 completed the survey.
About SSSF:
The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is responsible for all aspects of the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Pistol Program (SPP) across the United States. SCTP and SPP are youth development programs in which adult coaches and other volunteers use shooting sports to teach and to demonstrate sportsmanship, responsibility, honesty, ethics, integrity, teamwork, and other positive life skills. SCTP was developed as a program of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) until the SSSF was created in 2007 to operate the SCTP. In 2012, SSSF created the SPP and became the managing foundation of both programs.
For more information about SSSF, visit www.sssfonline.org.