Courtesy / City of Auburn
This lobster means business, in a logo designed by Liz Allen of the city of Auburn.
Updated: April 20, 2023
Auburn lands national collegiate sports event, anticipates $2.4M impact
Courtesy / National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association
In April 2024, Auburn will host the national collegiate roller hockey championships at the Norway Savings Bank Arena.
Auburn hopes to reap big bucks from hockey pucks when it hosts the national collegiate roller hockey championships next year, to the tune of $2.4 million.
That's the estimated economic impact of hosting 3,000 athletes and guests from April 17-22, 2024, based on expectations of a $200 daily spend by each attendee, according to Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque.
"That is sizable for the entire region," Levesque told Mainebiz in a phone interview. The Arrington, Tenn.-based National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association announced the news Wednesday afternoon in Irvine, Calif., on the first day of this year's tournament that runs through Sunday.
With over 175 teams and 2,000 players nationwide, the association is the country's governing body of collegiate roller hockey, which Levesque says is "just like hockey except you're on roller blades."
Indeed, roller hockey athletes use sticks and a puck, but play on a dry surface rather than ice. Auburn's Norway Savings Bank dual ice-sheet arena, where next year's tournament will take place, can accommodate both kinds of hockey.
Auburn, an Androscoggin County city with a population of 24,000, is gearing up to promote next year's event via a lobster-themed logo designed by Liz Allen, the city's director of communications and community engagement.
Collegiate roller hockey has been around since 1994, with a league in place since 1998. The NCRHA has been around since 2003 and is currently hosting the 2023 collegiate championships in Irvine, Calif.
For Auburn, landing next year's championships is the result of a proactive strategy to bring large sports events at the NCAA level to the city.
"We're never going to host Final Four basketball — we would have to build a lot more basketball courts — but we are setting our ambitions high," Levesque said.
He also noted that next year's roller hockey event will have an impact well beyond the city's borders, predicting bookings at hotels throughout Androscoggin and Cumberland counties.
Optimistic about attracting other college sports events to Auburn, Levesque added, "Once you get the first one and you have a great review, the other ones start chasing you. The first one is always the most difficult."
The 2024 roller hockey championship games will be operated by the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association in conjunction with the city of Auburn and the Norway Savings Bank Arena.
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