By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

HELP WITH THE BUDGET

City grants Riggers $25,000 for 2021 Men’s National Championship

Sep 14, 2020 | 4:15 PM

The City of Red Deer will contribute $25,000 towards the hosting of the 2021 Men’s AAA National Baseball Championship.

The tournament is set to be hosted by the Red Deer Riggers at Great Chief Park from Aug. 25-29 of next year.

Funds will come from a previously approved $425,000 budget item set aside for these types of requests from sports organizations in the city.

Of that amount, $325,000 is for event hosting opportunities, with the remaining $100,000 there to fulfill sponsorship agreements.

Two events that were slated to utilize the funds this year were the Canadian Finals Rodeo and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, both of which were cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19.

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In a letter to Mayor Tara Veer from the Riggers organization, it’s noted that the Canada Cup national tournament, which is similarly sized, brought an economic impact of close to $170,000 to the community of Regina.

“This event is considered to be the crown jewel of Men’s baseball in Canada and we believe that it is a perfect way to highlight our amazing city. It is also an opportunity to have a significant economic impact on Red Deer and build community and cultural support,” the club writes. “This national event will give our city the opportunity to display the best amateur men’s baseball in the country and includes teams from coast to coast. Bower Ponds and Great Chief Park, Red Deer’s premier outdoor sports park, would be on full display.”

Red Deer Minor Baseball and Baseball Alberta also provided letters of support for the request for funding.

The Riggers’ total budget for the 2021 event is just over $830,000.

City council unanimously approved the $25,000 request at their meeting on Monday.