GULF SHORES, Ala. (Jan. 27, 2020) —SportsEvents Media Group, the leading industry publication focused exclusively on helping sports event planners produce excellent competitions in the United States, has announced the 2020 Readers’ Choice Award winners. These award-winning destinations and venues for youth and amateur sports will be honored in the January 2019 issue of SportsEvents Magazine.
 
This is the twelfth year for the SportsEvents Readers’ Choice Awards and the AAU’s second year to win.
 
“AAU is one of the best in the world, if not the best, when it comes to youth sports events,” said AAU President and CEO Dr. Roger J. Goudy. “To be recognized for all the hard work and dedication of our staff and volunteers, is truly humbling. But also, we could not have pulled this off without you, our great athletes, coaches, parents and partners. Thank you for another great year.”
 
AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships
The AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships were awarded as one of the nation’s top events to watch in 2020. After another record setting participation year, the 46th AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships boasted 2,805 girls and boys teams from across 47 states, as well as eight countries. In total, the championship hosted 45,000 athletes, 10,000 coaches, 600 college coaches and approximately 100,000 spectators. 
 
The flagship event of the AAU Volleyball season took place across 170+ courts in the North and South Hall of the award-winning Orange County Convention Center and at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort. The 46th AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships also generated 117,000 room nights and brought an estimated economic impact of $100 million to the Central Florida area, second only to the NFL Super Bowl.
 
In addition for 2019, AAU Volleyball made the event more of a premier destination for the whole family by partnering with the United States eSports Federation (USeF). The AAU, led by President/CEO Dr. Roger Goudy, selected USeF to lead the development and creation of “AAU eSports – Bringing eSports to America.” The launch occurred on the Allied eSports’ HyperX eSports Truck, North America’s first mobile eSports arena and production studio.
 
For 2020, the 47th AAU Junior National Championships will once again be in Orlando, Florida on June 16-28.
 
For more information on AAU Volleyball, visit AAUVolleyball.org.
 
AAU Junior Olympic Games
The AAU Junior Olympic Games were also awarded as one of the nation’s top events to watch in 2020. The event celebrated its 53rd year in the host city of Greensboro, North Carolina. This was Greensboro’s first-time to accommodate the multisport event, making it the 32nd city to hold the Games since 1967.
 
The 53rd AAU Junior Olympic Games brought 18,000 athletes and 50,000 spectators to the town, making it the largest multi-sport event in the nation. 14 different sport competitions were featured in the 11-day event with AAU Track and Field as the largest event, breaking a record of 13,601 athletes participating at the BB&T Stadium.
 
As estimated by Greensboro Visitors Bureau, the event generated $31,843,000 in economic impact to the area with roughly 50,000 visitors to the Greensboro area, using 27,000 hotel room nights.

The popularity of the Games has exploded with representatives from all 50 states and several U.S. territories and has become the showcase event of the AAU Sports Program.
 
For 2020, the 54th AAU Junior Olympic Games will be back in Hampton, Virginia on July 29 to August 8.
 
For more information on AAU Junior Olympic Games, visit AAUJROgames.org
 
AAU Jam On It Reno Memorial Day Tournament
Lastly, the Jam On It Reno Memorial Day Tournament was named as a top event to watch in 2020. Jam On It, one of AAU’s biggest event organizers, boasts the name of their tournaments as “all under one roof,” renting out convention centers and filling them to the brim.
 
The 2019 AAU Jam On It Reno Memorial Day Tournament held 85 courts in the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. In its 16th year of competition, a total of 2,275 games were played over the course of three days. More than 1,200 amateur youth basketball teams (boys and girls), totaling 15,600 athletes (along with 38,000 spectators) came from Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.
 
For 2020, the AAU Jam On It Reno Memorial Day Tournament will take place on May 23-25 in Revo, Nevada.
 
For more information on Jam On It, visit jamonit.org
 
“It is my honor to recognize these organizations as our 2019 winners. They are hardworking departments diligently work to provide best-in-class service to the youth and amateur organizations and tournaments they host,” said Sherri Middleton, Managing Editor. “Their dedication to youth and amateur sports and the creativity and passion these organizations exhibit is a perfect example of excellence in the sports events industry.”
 
Sports event professionals were asked to nominate destinations and sports venues that they believe display exemplary creativity and professionalism toward the youth and amateur sports groups they host. Nominations were received from readers throughout the year, and the top picks were selected based on results from an online voting system.
 
For the full list of SportEvents Media Group 2020 Readers’ Choice Award winners, visit sportseventsmagazine.com.