Beach chamber members hear about the importance of sports

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http://www.tbnweekly.com/beach_beacon/beach-chamber-members-hear-about-the-importance-of-sports/article_5d9ea4c2-fbb7-11e7-b69c-ef06798c3706.html

Beach chamber members hear about the importance of sports

ST. PETE BEACH – Tampa Bay Rays president Brian Auld and two other leaders in sports marketing explained the importance of sports and sports organizations on the local economy Jan. 11 to members of the Tampa Bay Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Speaking during the chamber’s annual dinner at the TradeWinds Island Grant Resort, Auld was joined by Rob Higgins, executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, and Tim Ramsberger, chief operating officer of Visit St. Pete Clearwater.

Auld, who lives with his family in St. Petersburg and is a graduate of Harvard Business School, is credited with an employees-first culture within the Rays organization and the creation of a community service program that awards Rays employees one paid day per month to volunteer in the community. His accomplishments also include the addition of maternity and paternity benefits for full-time staff, paid parental leave, adoption benefits, a staff wellness program and a $10 minimum wage for all part-time employees.

“We just want to represent the region the right way,” said Auld. “We hope you can be as proud of the organization as we are.”

From a marketing standpoint, Auld said sports “have a unique way of attracting attention to themselves” and the Rays, being a small market Major League Baseball franchise, must often make decisions that are unpleasant to fans, from a business standpoint.

“We’re not doing stupid stuff on purpose,” he said.

Higgins, who served on the committee that landed the 2009 Super Bowl at Raymond James Stadium and most recently the award of the 2021 Super Bowl to Tampa, said sports provide both a social and economic impact to the area. As an example, he pointed to last year’s college football national championship game in Tampa, which he said provided Pinellas County with more than $4.5 million in revenue over the same weekend a year earlier.

Ramsberger, an attorney and former director of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, is involved in a wide range of projects, including marketing of Pinellas County as a sports destination.

Ramsberger, who works closely with Higgins, said their partnership resulted in 125 events last year, providing over 130,000 hotel room nights and an estimated $500 million economic impact to the local economy.

Ramsberger said Visit St. Pete Clearwater has marketing partnerships with the Rays, Tampa Bay Rowdies, P1 Powerboats and Major League Soccer, which now has three teams that train in Pinellas County. Those teams are the New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union and DC United.

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http://www.the42.ie/nasl-usl-us-soccer-3804732-Jan2018/

'A shambles - nobody has thought about the players': Irish contingent caught up in US chaos

The NASL still boasted an iconic brand in the New York Cosmos, it had teams with strong historical ties to the game in the US like the Tampa Bay Rowdies and a substantial foothold in strong, interested football communities like Minnesota and Indianapolis.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7rj9jr/tomorrow_ralphs_mob_holiday_after_party_saturday/

TOMORROW: Ralph's Mob "Holiday After Party" - Saturday, January 20th - 3-6PM, Thirsty First (facebook.com)

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https://www.facebook.com/RalphsMob/photos/a.384624768950.169766.345399658950/10155330406393951/?type=3&theater

Ralph's Mob

Tomorrow is our Ralph's Mob Holiday "After Party"! Event starts at 3PM and goes until 6PM - just enough time to go to the Florida Cup match after. Food, drink, fun and great auctions - INCLUDING THESE GAME WORN, AUTOGRAPHED Marcel Schäfer CLEATS!!! You can only get these (and some other cool items) at the party!

Get tickets here >>> https://squareup.com/store/ralphs-mob/

(We'd love to get a good idea on the amounts of food to have ready - so if you can buy your tickets in advance, it will help us out a lot!)

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7rk5a5/freddy_adu_on_twitter_have_made_a_decision_to/

[Freddy Adu on Twitter] Have made a decision to start fresh after a year away from soccer. This decision is solely based on the fact that I want to play as much as possible this year then move forward from there. Have discovered my love for the sport again. News soon! (twitter.com)

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https://twitter.com/FreddyAdu/status/954411916075700224

Freddy Adu

‏Verified account

@FreddyAdu

Have made a decision to start fresh after a year away from soccer. This decision is solely based on the fact that I want to play as much as possible this year then move forward from there. Have discovered my love for the sport again 🙏🏿. News soon!

9:55 AM - 19 Jan 2018

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7rlifx/rowdies_unveil_full_2018_usl_schedule/

Rowdies Unveil Full 2018 USL Schedule (rowdiessoccer.com)

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http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/877599?referrer_id=2909153

Rowdies Unveil Full 2018 USL Schedule