This news item expired on Thursday, February 7, 2019 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
On Oct. 30, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced the Fed Cup will return to Asheville. It’s an exciting move that will bring world-class, professional tennis to Buncombe County and have an estimated economic impact of $3.5 million.
The Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission (ABRSC) played a large part in attracting this event for a second consecutive year. Buncombe County’s Director of Parks and Recreation Josh O’Conner is a member of the ABRSC and sees the selection as continued validation of Asheville and the surrounding area as an international destination. “The reality is each high-level event we recruit attracts more attention and allows us to attract diverse array of sporting events and tourism opportunities,” exclaims O’Conner. “We put effort behind highlighting and promoting events like this so people have lifetime awareness and involvement in sports and being active.”
On hand for the announcement was County Commissioner Joe Belcher who is also excited about the many opportunities the Fed Cup brings. “It brings big names, inspires kids, and of course the economic impact is a big deal for the County. It exposes our young kids to athletes they’d never get an opportunity to see and hopefully get inspired to enter tennis or some other sport,” notes Belcher. “It’s why it’s important to take care of all Buncombe County’s recreational assets so people can access those.”
The tennis action will have games from Feb. 9-10, 2019, featuring the United States against Australia at the U.S. Cellular Center. Tickets will be available on Nov. 2. You can read the USTA’s entire press release here.