WINTRUST SPORTS COMPLEX AT BEDFORD PARK WINS TWO 2025 CHAMPIONS OF ECONOMIC IMPACT SPORTS TOURISM AWARDS

Matteson, Ill. – (November 4, 2025) Wintrust Sports Complex at Bedford Park and Visit Chicago Southland earned two Sports Destination Management 2025 Champions of Economic Impact Sports Tourism Awards, one for the 2025 USA Judo Junior Olympic Championships and one for the 2025 Under Armour Association Boys Basketball Finals.

"We are delighted to receive recognition as Champions of Economic Impact by Sports Destination Management," said Village of Bedford Park President David R. Brady. "These awards reinforce that our mission to make Wintrust Sports Complex at Bedford Park an elite sports events facility is on the correct path."

The 2025 USA Judo Junior Olympic Championships at the Wintrust Sports Complex at Bedford Park was the preeminent judo tournament in the country for ages five through 20. The event had 867 competing athletes with more than 2,500 spectators and a $2.3 million economic impact.

The Under Armour Association Boys Basketball Finals, plus the subsidiary OneSix middle school  championship, brought 350 teams and almost 10,000 spectators to the Wintrust Sports Complex at Bedford Park over seven days generating a $4.6 million economic impact.

“We continue to be proud to have Wintrust Sports Complex at Bedford Park apart of the Chicago Southland region,” praised Visit Chicago Southland President/CEO Mary Patchin. “Our partnership is special as it’s a pleasure to support them in every way.”

Sports Destination Management is the largest publication of sports event planners and tournament directors in the sports tourism market. The Champions of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism Award criteria factors money generated at the event and area hotels, restaurants, and shops in relation to market size.

Visit Chicago Southland is the official destination management and marketing organization for Chicago’s south and southwest suburbs. Visit Chicago Southland nationally markets and sells the Chicago Southland region as a destination for meetings and conventions, group tours, sports events and leisure travel. For more information, go to VisitChicagoSouthland.com.

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