Sports Commission History
| 1988 | Maricopa County Sports Authority (MCSA) born through legislation. The original funding comes from Maricopa County ($110,000 per year) and other cities in the Valley (an additional $110,000 between them). MCSA housed at O’Connor-Cavanaugh Law Firm at no cost. | |
| 1990 | MCSA bid on World Police & Fire Games. | |
| 1993 | MCSA landed USA Boxing National Championships. MCSA managed the feasibility study for Major League Baseball in the Valley ($150,000 cost). Cost of the study put MCSA in a difficult financial position. | |
| 1994 | MCSA resurrection plan put forth by the Board of Directors. | |
| 1995 | Mike Sculley hired. Maricopa County suffered a budget cut and dropped all funding to MCSA. A name change and new logo were implemented. The Maricopa County Sports Commission (MCSC) Board was reorganized to represent a broader community base. “Enriching our Community Through Sports” became the Sports Commission tag line. Debt for the MLB study was paid off. | |
| 1997 | G.A.M.E. Plan (Giving Academics More Emphasis) was created as a community outreach program. The program, with partners ESPN and Cox Communications, ran through 2003. Senior Softball World Championships partnership began, with the event contracted to be held in Phoenix in 1999, 2002, 2005 and 2008. Later 2007 was added to the agreement. | |
| 1998 | MCSC moves to GPEC offices, again at no cost. MCSC hosts the USOC Olympic Congress, which was to be the last Congress held until it’s reestablishment under the name “SportsLink” in 2008. The MCSC landed several events from the Congress including a three-year partnership with USA Swimming. MCSC also bid on the newly created Gravity Games, however unsuccessfully. | |
| 1999 | MCSC bid on the Goodwill Games (Games later cancelled by Ted Turner and AOL/Time Warner). MCSC moved to the Phoenix CVB offices where it is housed today, again at no cost. | |
| 2000 | MCSC landed the AAU Baseball Championships, USA Gymnastics, the Snickers Cup, and the PBA US Open Bowling Championship (in Glendale). All of these events were attributed to hosting the Olympic Congress in 1998. | |
| 2001 | MCSC instrumental in relocating the headquarters of Super Series Baseball to Mesa. AZSPORTSFAN.COM web site launched. MCSC partnered with ASU to bid on the Women’s Final Four. | |
| 2002 | Champions Circle created. Women’s Only Open (WOO) Golf Tournament created. MCSC worked with the Phoenix Coyotes to bid on the 2006 NHL All-Star Game. The All-Star Game was awarded to Glendale and announced in 2004. A partnership with USA Volleyball was instituted and the organization held their Boys Junior Olympics in Phoenix. First MCSC calendar created and distributed to over 100,000 people in the Valley. | |
| 2003 | USA Volleyball held their Adult Nationals in Phoenix. MCSC instrumental in coordinating the initial effort to land the PF Chang’s Rock and Roll Marathon for 2004 and beyond. MCSC Foundation created. | |
| 2004 | Inaugural PF Changs Rock and Roll Marathon held. | |
| 2006 | Michael Benson hired as Executive Director upon the resignation of Sculley. National Sports Forum landed for 2009. MCSC works to land a Major League Soccer team for the Valley. | |
| 2007 | MCSC undergoes a name change and unveils a new logo. The Phoenix Regional Sports Commission (PRSC) partners with Par & Poker and Avnet to generate funds for the PRSC. Calendar discontinued. Last WOO Golf event held. Board member Mark Tudi takes over PRSC as Interim Executive Director upon the departure of Benson. | |
| 2008 | Jon Schmieder hired as full-time President in June. Focus on revamping the finances of the organization while continuing to land multi-year partnerships that bring grass-roots championship events to the Valley. The NIRSA Soccer and US Lacrosse Championships both were secured for multiple years, and the Senior Softball World Championship contract was extended for 2008 and 2009. Work was done to transition the Board to the 501c3 Foundation, pay off past debt of the legislative entity and dissolve that entity. An effort to re-launch the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame and the Champions Circle was undertaken. PRSC Board announces a two-year goal of landing events that will bring more than $100,000,000 in direct visitor spending to the Valley (the “$100,000,000 mission”). The Sports Commission celebrates its 20th birthday in December. | |
| 2009 | In January, the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame is officially re-launched with the announcement of a new induction ceremony to take place in April. PRSC launches a new board structure under its 501c3 Foundation arm. Champions Circle is revitalized in February during NBA All-Star Weekend a holds 10 events throughout the year. The Arizona Sports Hall of Fame inducts four new members in April. At the request of the PRSC, the original Sports “Authority” is officially dissolved by Maricopa County, opening the door for a wider reaching more inclusive community-based board moving forward. The inaugural Youth Sports Summit is held with 60 area youth program leaders participating in developing the PRSC game plan for youth sports in 2010 and beyond. The year closes with 30 members on the newly revamped Board of Directors, and the organization surpassing the $60,000,000 mark for the “hundred million dollar mission”. | |
