USBC Open Championship and Women’s Championship

Status

The bid deadline is July 1, 2023

Inside Track

The United States Bowling Congress is the National Governing Body for the sport of bowling. Officially launched January 1, 2005, as an organization to serve adult and youth bowlers in the U.S., it resulted from the merger of the American Bowling Congress, Women’s International Bowling Congress, Young American Bowling Alliance and USA Bowling. Approximately 50,000 bowlers plus friends and family members from all 50 states and some foreign countries will visit the host city during the run of the tournament.

The USBC is looking for communities interested in hosting duties for the 2028, 2031, 2034, 2035, 2037 or 2038 USBC Open Championships bowling tournament. The United States Bowling Congress Open Championships is the only major sports event where every bowler who holds USBC adult membership can compete regardless of skill level. This event has traditionally moved locations on a regular basis with multiple appearances in certain key cities. Through the years, cities big and small have hosted this event.

The USBC Open Championships is contested in a convention center or arena setting with the installation of a minimum of (48) bowling lanes. An arena or arena-like setting is required with a minimum of 90,000 square feet of unobstructed space for a 56-lane venue, with a minimum ceiling height of 28 feet. The facility will need to be available for seven months, typically January – July.

The amount of lumber used is enough to construct three three-bedroom homes. More than six miles of wiring also is required to handle the tournament’s electrical needs. All salvageable materials are donated to an area Habitat for Humanity. Additionally, the USBC hires between 75 and 100 people to conduct the tournament. The USBC Open Championship over the past eight years has been hosted by Reno, Nevada (2023, 2016); Las Vegas (2022, 2021, 2019, 2017); Syracuse, New York (2018) and El Paso, Texas (2015).

For the duration of the tournament, at least 600 acceptable rooms must be available for bowlers and their guests each day. USBC utilizes the services of a third-party travel agency, Connections Housing, Inc., to negotiate and contract with participating hotels.

The USBC is also looking for communities interested in hosting duties for the 2028, 2031, 2033, 2034, 2036 or 2037 USBC Open Championships bowling tournament. The USBC Women’s Championships is one of the world’s largest annual participatory sporting events for women, attracting between 4,000 and 6,000 four-player teams (16,000-24,500 participants) annually over a 90- to 100-day period. It has been in existence since 1916 and celebrated its 100th edition in 2019 in Wichita, Kansas. The USBC Women’s Championships is open to any female USBC member.

A potential host may propose two centers with 48 lanes each within close proximity to each other, or a single 60-lane center. The facilities shall be available for the exclusive use of the USBC from approximately April 1 through July 31 of the proposed host year. In addition, the USBC shall have access to approximately 5,000 square feet of storage space at no cost to the USBC during this time.

The Women’s Championships features a multidivision scratch format based on average. Bowlers compete in team, doubles and singles events. Bowlers usually take part in the three-game team event the first day and six games of doubles and singles competition the following day. For the duration of the tournament, at least 400 acceptable rooms must be available for bowlers and their guests each day. USBC utilizes the services of a third-party travel agency to negotiate and contract with participating hotels.

For more information, contact Greg Moore at greg.moore@bowl.com

Click here to download the RFP for the Open Championship
Click here to download the RFP for the Women’s Championship