Visit Panama City Beach is pleased to announce Publix Super Markets as the title sponsor of the outdoor fields facility at the Panama City Beach Sports Complex. With this partnership, the destination’s premier sports tourism and community recreation venue will be re-christened as “Publix Sports Park” at Panama City Beach.
Publix Sports Park is a $41 million-dollar, state-of-the-art facility that offers the ultimate venue for sports enthusiasts in Panama City Beach, with nine turf fields, four natural grass fields, dedicated tournament buildings, two championship fields with seating for up to 1,500 spectators and more than 1,000 parking spots. The complex hosts soccer, lacrosse, rugby, football, baseball, softball and other youth and elite amateur sporting events.
“We are extremely honored to announce this partnership between Publix and Visit Panama City Beach,” said Dan Rowe, Visit Panama City Beach president and CEO. “With this valuable support from Publix, a company known throughout the region for its community involvement, the park is poised for success as we continue to establish Panama City Beach as a top destination for sports tourism.”
“Since opening, the facility has exceeded expectations because of the strong teamwork between Bay County, the Tourist Development Council and Sports Facilities Companies,” said Jason Clement, Sports Facilities Management founder and CEO. “Including Publix is like adding a hall-of-fame teammate to the middle of the line-up. Their commitment will accelerate every measurable outcome of improving the health and economic vitality in Bay County.”
In 2019, the sports park hosted 80,000 visitors and filled 120,000 room nights in the destination for a $56 million-dollar direct impact in less than a year after opening. Following the pandemic, the facility has played a vital role in the destination’s recovery due to the strong demand for sports tourism in Panama City Beach. Between April and September 2021, the park hosted a total of 26 tournaments, which brought in more than 1,600 teams consisting of 22,5000 athletes. The summer season brought an economic impact exceeding $50 million and the sports park hosted 43 tournaments between October and December 2021.
“As a food retailer, we support the health and wellness journeys of our customers and their families,” said Hannah Herring Publix media manager. “As a community partner, youth sports is an integral part of wellness and provides our kids with important skill sets, such as teamwork, collaboration and a sense of belonging. We are proud to sponsor the Publix Sports Park at Panama City Beach and are excited to build life-long relationships with our customers, youth and visitors to the complex alike.”
During the five-year term of the partnership, Publix will also be the Presenting Sponsor of Visit Panama City Beach’s signature “UNwineD” event.
