Asheville – It started as another boring manager’s update. Presenter Chris Corl spoke of things that don’t matter to most people, like how government had undertaken another study, and that study recommended a restructuring. Corl was formerly the general manager of Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville, and now he heads the city’s new Community and Regional Entertainment Facilities Department. The presentation would impact the Asheville-Buncombe Regional Sports Commission (ABRSC).
The ABRSC functions like an economic development agency specializing in the recruitment of sports events to the area. Services provided by the commission include venue tours, event planning, proposal preparation for decisionmakers, assistance with bookings, and introductions to local providers for various services, including publicity.
Corl explained that the ABRSC is a 501(c)(3) organization currently funded annually with $230,000 from the Tourism Development Authority (TDA), $45,000 from Buncombe County, and $45,000 from the City of Asheville. In its 11 years of operation, the ABRSC has hosted 53 major sports events. These include eleven SoCon basketball tournaments, nine Gran Fondo bicycle races, nine Gala Gymnastics competitions, five Ingles Great Smoky Mountain Grapples, five Spartan Races, and three Billie Jean King tennis cups. Just last year, the commission hosted 21 events, resulting in $19.2 million in direct spending in the community with an estimated $31.5 million impact, which included the generation of $944,000 in local taxes. They also provided sporting events for 4,509 kids.
With a resume like that, Corl had to explain why stakeholders wanted a review of the organizational structure. He said coming out of COVID, there were concerns about the body’s financial future; that is, certain members wanted to know how the organization was going to thrive, not just survive. He didn’t get into details about finances, but he did share that the commission was operating with an interim executive director.
All three groups providing direct financial assistance had consented to work with a consultant to evaluate the organization’s leadership structure, and the consultant recommended absorbing the ABRSC into the TDA. It was suggested that these groups, plus UNC Asheville, which provides venues, retain their permanent seats on the board of governance as well as the nonprofit board itself. All founding members would continue to make contributions to the ABRSC through the TDA.
In addition to offering to rewrite the bylaws, the consultants gave the commission some goals. These included “driving” at least $20 million in economic impact, including 30,000 additional room nights; creating at least one new event a year; hosting an annual recognition event; providing sports camps or clinics for 100 underserved children; and commissioning an economic impact study to justify investment in the commission.
Corl said the main advantages of the acquisition would be the fiscal stability and administrative support that are already built into the TDA. Changing the bylaws would allow for more transparency as well as the addition of members to the boards to prevent 50-50 votes. Disadvantages included the expectation that volunteerism would sag. For example, the ABRSC typically gets 140 volunteers to work at tennis events. Another concern was risk because the ABRSC currently covers losses from events, and it is unclear if the TDA would.
Corl said the changes would not go into effect until all founding members voted, and nobody had scheduled a vote at this time. That was fine, except that founding members and other supporters of the ABRSC came to the public meeting to oppose the merger.
Former city councilman Jan Davis, like Carol Peterson, who spoke before him, was an original member of the sports commission. He recalled with nostalgia the early successes of the ABRSC and how, in a contentious era, it brought the city and county together. The commission, he said, went beyond tourism. He conceded that as a part of the TDA, the ABRSC would probably have better administration and be “funded more properly,” but he expected that instead of thriving, the commission would dissolve. It would hurt to see it go away, he said, before offering his and Peterson’s availability to inform future council deliberations.
Like others, Jeff Joyce, who is vice chair of the sports commission, saw a lot of unanswered questions. He asked if the TDA would withdraw its funding if the city didn’t support what people were calling a “merger,” “takeover,” and “hostile takeover,” and if the city would withdraw its support if the acquisition succeeded. He called attention to the commission’s two hardworking, success-driven staff members, Chris Smith and Madison Davis. He said they “weren’t feeling the love right now.” There was no way of knowing if they would be retained, and if they were, it looked like they’d be doing twice as much work.