Eight teams will compete for two final four spots in the NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament here in the Greenville Regional. Seattle, WA and Greenville are the chosen cities for the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games.
“Those fans will not only get to enjoy the game in the arena but will stay in our hotels, eat and drink in our restaurants and bars, shop in our retail stores and as they are here enjoying Greenville they spend their money with our local businesses,” CEO and President of VisitGreenvilleSC Heath Dillard said. “It is a really great financial, economic impact for our own community.”
The Bon Secours Wellness Arena will be the venue in Greenville, with six games spanning across four days starting on Friday. The tournament is expected to draw more than 50,000 visitors to the area. Teams and fans will travel from as close as South Carolina and as far as California.
“More than likely we will host people in our community who have never been in Greenville before,” Heath said. “We know through our experience that they interact with our residents and hospitality employees and they walk away with a really incredible feeling about what Greenville has to offer.”
City of Greenville Mayor Knox White says as Greenville continues to host big events like this one, the City will continue to work on redevelopment in the area. The next project is an entertainment district and public plaza around the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
“We are going to build in wider sidewalks and tree line boulevards along North St and I-385,” White said. “We’re going to have restaurants and stores around the arena so you can go early and stay late. It’s going to be a much more welcoming venue for the future for the NCAA.”
