A little over a year after changing its name and expanding its mission, SportsBR is hoping to roll out some new school- and community-based programs this fall in tennis and track.
The programs will target underserved kids and will build on work the former Baton Rouge Sports Foundation began in 2017, when it rebranded and branched out beyond sports tourism marketing.
Over the past year, the nonprofit SportsBR has begun working with BREC and the YMCA on youth tennis programs. The organization also rolled out a development track program earlier this year for children ages 14 and under.
Engaging local kids in sports at a young age not only serves the community and exposes the participants to enriching activities, but also ties in to SportsBR’s original mission to attract athletic events to the local market.
“Let’s say we want to attract a large-scale track and field meet,” says Sports BR Executive Director Eric Engemann. “It helps with our bid and enhances what we can do if we say, ‘Hey, we’re in there with you. We are supporting your sport and increasing interest in it.’”
The organization is also gearing up for its second annual fund appeal. In 2017, it raised some $50,000. This year, its goal is $75,000—money that will be used to help support SportsBR’s local programs and marketing efforts.
Those market efforts are going well, says Engemann, who suggests several deals are in the “pipeline.” He is hopeful Baton Rouge will land a couple of major events in 2019 and 2020 in martial arts, track and field and/or cross country.
In the meantime, the organization is continuing to promote several ongoing events that it co-owns and operates, such as the Tiger 10K, an early December race that begins accepting registrants at noon today, and the Mardi Gras Mambo 10K, which for 20 years has been a favorite in the local running community.
“When we rebranded, part of the message was we felt we could play a bigger role in the community, but also finding ways of partnering with different organizations and groups to bring the community together,” Engemann says. “Everybody loves sports so the idea is to bring everybody together through that shared love.”
