Announced this morning, the NCAA has selected Kansas City as one of eight finalist bid cities to host the 2021-2024 Women’s Final Four. The news was released this morning by the Local Organizing Committee, comprised of Visit KC, the Kansas City Sports Commission, Sprint Center and the University of Missouri. Kansas City last hosted the event in 1998 at Kemper Arena.
“On behalf of the local hospitality community, Visit KC and its partners are eager to roll out the red carpet and welcome fans and visitors to Kansas City, affectionately known as the College Basketball Capital of America,” said Visit KC Chair CiCi Rojas. “We estimate that this event and its ancillary activities will infuse more than $21 million into the local economy, in addition to the priceless TV and media coverage associated with an event of this caliber.”
Kathy Nelson, President and CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission notes, “Our experience hosting major sporting events at the collegiate, national and professional level is extensive. We are ready to bring the Women’s Final Four to Kansas City!”
“Kansas City has a rich basketball tradition, and the University of Missouri is proud to be partnering with the Local Organizing Committee in hopes of bringing a future NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four to the community,” said MU Athletic Director Jim Sterk. “We look forward to working with leaders in Kansas City to help make this a reality in the coming months.”
The other seven cities under consideration include Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Nashville and San Antonio. Selected cities serving as future Women’s Final Four hosts will be announced in early October 2018. For additional information, please see the NCAA announcement.
About Visit KC
Visit KC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to ignite global passion for visiting Kansas City. Through marketing, sales and service of the convention and tourism industries, Visit KC supports a vital and growing component of the local economy—generating nearly 48,000 jobs and $5.5 billion in economic impact annually. For more information about Kansas City, go to VisitKC.com.