Orange County Sports Commission Announced

Six Southern California destinations announced at the TEAMS ’19 Conference & Expo that they will partner to form the Orange County Sports Commission to pursue and attract amateur and professional sporting opportunities regionally, nationally and internationally to improve the Orange County economy.

The commission’s board will consist of sports and business leaders in the area to provide a singular and united voice for the community. Visit Anaheim President and Chief Executive Officer Jay Burress will serve as president. Tim Ryan, the executive vice president, chief operating officer of the Anaheim Ducks and president and chief executive officer of Anaheim Arena Management, will serve as chairman. Wendy Haase, vice president of Destination Irvine, will serve as secretary/treasurer.

“We are thrilled to usher in a new era of opportunity and unity for sporting events in Anaheim and Orange County,” Burress said. “The commission allows the OC to emerge as the premier sports destination with a number of venues for land and water sports.”

Over the past two years, the Sports Anaheim team ushered in 143 events with an economic impact reaching over $391 million and welcomed over 1.35 million attendees to Orange County. The OCSC will be an advocate for healthy and active living.

“The Orange County Sports Commission is the next step in developing and producing elite sporting events and competition,” Ryan said. “The commission presents an incredible opportunity to capitalize on the number of different world-class venues in the area.”

The Orange County Sports Commission will extend its reach with venue and facility accessibility partnering with the following: Visit Anaheim, Travel Costa Mesa, Visit Dana Point, Visit Huntington Beach, Destination Irvine, Visit Laguna Beach. The Ducks, American Sports Center, Honda Center and Knott’s Berry Farm will be the OCSC’s initial community partners.

Spearheading the commission is OSCS Executive Director Roy Edmondson. Since he joined Visit Anaheim, the Sports Anaheim department earned Sports Tourism Organization of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and was also awarded Sports Travel Magazine’s Best Amateur Single-Sport Event for the 2017 International Weightlifting Federation World Championships.

“Partnering with Orange County destinations allows the commission to unite the region under one sporting entity – creating a more recognizable brand from both a national and international perspective,” said Edmondson. “The opportunity enables us to compete against other destinations for regional, national and international championships.”