windy city thunderbolts wins national economic award

Olympia Fields, Ill. – (November 30, 2023) – The Windy City ThunderBolts have won the “2023 Champions in Economic Impact in Sports Tourism Award” by Sports Destination Management.

The official announcement was published in SDM’s November/December 2023 issue.

The award is in large part from the baseball club hosting two summer events at their home park, Ozinga Field, in Crestwood, Illinois.

The Frontier League All-Star Game week was sponsored in part by the Cook County Tourism Alive program in conjunction with the Chicago Southland Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Frontier League is the largest Partner League of Major League Baseball.

The All-Star Game and Skills Challenge featured players from Frontier League’s 16 teams that stretch from Illinois to Upstate New York, plus three teams from Canada.

“We humbly accept the ‘2023 Champions in Economic Impact in Sports Tourism” award,” said Mike Verschave, General Manager of the Windy City ThunderBolts. “This honor is a testament to our collection of staff, players, and the fans within the Chicago Southland community and beyond.”

The SDM recognition comes on the heels of the ThunderBolts earning “2023 Member of the Year” by the Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau (CSCVB).

“We sincerely congratulate the Windy City ThunderBolts franchise on the SDM Award and a banner 2023 season,” praised Village of Crestwood Mayor Kenneth Klein. “We are so proud that the ‘Bolts call Crestwood and Ozinga Field home.”

“The Windy City ThunderBolts are a proud member of the Chicago Southland and deserve Sports Destination Management’s recognition,” said Jim Garrett, President/CEO of the Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Sports Destination Management is written primarily for sports event managers and tournament directors in the sports tourism market and maintains a focus on key issues surrounding event location decisions and event management. SDM holds the largest circulation of sports event planners and tournament directors in the sports tourism market.

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