We hope this month's activity letter finds you well, as the Central Florida Sports Commission continues its extensive work to bring new and exciting sports related events and activities to Osceola County.

On behalf of the Central Florida Sports Commission, I would like to thank everyone for all of your hard work which made 2011 a very successful year for both Osceola County, and the Sports Commission. Although we were pleased with the results of 2011, we are excited about what 2012 will bring, and how we can continue to market Osceola County as a premiere sports destination.

Closing out 2011 on a high note, the Sports Commission and Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau partnered to host the National Christian College Athletic Association's (NCCAA) Division I & II Men's and Women's Soccer Championships and Volleyball Championships, as well as the American Youth Football & Cheer National Championships (AYF). It was a privilege and honor to work with these amazing organizations once again!

The NCCAA Championships brought in over 2,500 participants, coaches and spectators to Osceola County, as well as almost 4,000 room nights over the two (2) weekends they were here. AYF data is still being compiled, so please check back in future impact reports for economic impact information on this event.

The New Year brings new resolutions for many of you and new opportunities to Central Florida. The Sports Commission has a busy January in store with planned travel to two industry trade shows, where we hope to provide many new event prospects for our community. Read about our recent activity below in this month's impact report.

Thank you for your continued support as we continue to market Osceola County as the preferred destination for hosting sports related events and activities.

Happy New Year!

The Central Florida Sports Commission is sending representation to two (2) national conventions this month.   The first is the US Lacrosse Convention which will be staged in Philadelphia from Jan 13 - 15th. Billed as "the unofficial start to the lacrosse season," this event gathers the very best the sport has to offer, and provides the sport's largest educational opportunity, with over 5,000 coaches, officials, program administrators and exhibitors in attendance each year. This convention will provide the Sports Commission the opportunity to network with potential event organizers and coaches that might be interested in booking one of our various venues within the Osceola County.

The same week, we will be sending staff to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Convention in Kansas City. Billed as "The World's Largest Annual Gathering of Soccer Coaches," each year the NSCAA Convention draws approximately 4,000 coaches from our 30,000-plus members, and more than 9,000 attendees over five days. Like the US Lacrosse Convention, this convention will allow the Sports Commission to promote our area assets to interested parties that might want to book one of our multi-purpose venues in Osceola County for an event or team training.

In addition, the Sports Commission is working on developing a bid to potentially host the 2013-14 Florida Senior Games in Osceola County. We have been working with the Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau, City of Kissimmee Parks & Recreation Department and the City of St. Cloud, among other partners, in compiling the bid. The Games, which occur in December, encompass 19 different sports over 10 days, so we have to utilize various facilities throughout Osceola County to accommodate this multi-sport festival. In 2010, the Florida Senior Games had 2,239 participants and generated over 1,000 + room nights. We will have more information in future impact reports.