Wenatchee Valley Chamber Hiring Sports Tourism Coordinator

The Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce is in the process of filling a new position known as Sports Tourism Coordinator. 

It launched its process of interviewing for the job Monday with plans to have it filled quickly, and have a person on the job by the end of February.  

Chamber Executive Director Steve Wilkinson says the coordinator's first task will be to determine what sports facilities exist in the area. 

"Getting a better understanding of, really, what physical assets we have here in the community, gymnasiums for example, sports courts, soccer fields," said Wilkinson. "And, also, what is the need to, kind of, coordinate our efforts as we get calls." 

The Sports Tourism Coordinator would then be able to answers question from groups inquiring about staging sports events in the area. 

Money to support the coordinator position is being supplied by the cities of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee. 

The dollar figure being contributed by the two cities is not currently known, according to Wilkinson, because it’s still to be determined how that money will be dispersed between the role of Sports Tourism Coordinator and the actual promotion of sports tourism.  

Wilkinson says the coordinator will be helpful in determining whether a regional sports complex, which is currently being considered, would be feasible. 

"Principally we've been talking about an aquatic center," Wilkinson said. "But we have also have heard from the community that there's a need for more soccer fields, softball fields, baseball fields. And we hear that, but we don't know at this time, what the quantity is and the quality of what we can offer at this time." 

A year-long feasibility study for a possible Regional Sports Complex in the area is currently underway.  It's being paid for by Chelan and Douglas counties, the cities of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee, the Regional Port Authority and a group that oversees the Town Toyota Center. 

In addition, Wilkinson says the Sports Tourism Coordinator will be in contact with organizations around the state to gauge interest in holding sports events in the Wenatchee area. 

Wilkinson says he has seen a copy of a study conducted sometime around 2018 about a sports complex to serve either the community and the region that included cost estimates. 

That study is possibly being looked at by a subcommittee involved in the current feasibility study.