Greensboro City Council voted Tuesday to approve sponsorship for a premier sports event held in the city. A motion made by Greensboro City Council and other parties requested a renewal of a $200,000 grant to help sponsor the event over a five-year span and was approved (9-0).

The 2018 New Balance Nationals Outdoor (NBNO) is organized by the National Scholastic Athletic Foundation and will be held at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s Irwin Belk Track and Field Complex at Aggie Stadium in June. For 12 consecutive years, Greensboro, NC has been selected by the National Scholastic Athletic Foundation (NSAF) as the host city to showcase high school athletic talent.

According to an official city council report, since its arrival in 2005, the number of NBNO involvement grew from 2,000 to over 5,000 in athlete and coach participation. The NBNO Championships anticipate approximately over 4,000 high school track and field competitors and coaches from across the United States to the city of Greensboro next year. The not-for-profit organization, NSAF has been operating for 27 years to help young athletes with physical fitness and leading healthy lifestyles

. According to NSAF, the 2017 NBNO welcomed more than 5,000 athletes from 45 states, DC, Canada, Mexico and Germany. According to the Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau, holding an event at this magnitude will likely draw approximately 13,000 attendees. Another projection as a result of this event being in Greensboro is the economic impact; over the next five years, an estimated $22.8 million dollars will be generated from visitors’ spending in transportation needs, hotels and retailers.

Exceptional hosting is the main factor in N.C. A&T holding the event for 12 years. N.C. A&T Associate Athletic Director for Game Operations and Facilities, Billy Edringston says “we’ve done a good job hosting it. From the support of the city, university and the athletics department.”

The report indicates that successfully hosting major sporting events like the NBNO puts Greensboro, NC and the Greensboro Sports Commission in a good position to likely host other significant sporting events including the USATF Junior Olympics, the NCAA Division I East Regional Track & Field Championships, the NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s National Championships and the United States Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field.

According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, of more than one million men and women who partake in high school track and field, only about 10.8 percent go on to play at NCAA division schools. Recruitment is essential at track meets for potential talent and is a prime time for high school students – especially collegiate athlete hopefuls to consider college enrollment. N.C. A&T Director of Athletics, Earl Hilton says, “we do have recruiting activities while they’re here – we have people from the admissions office with information on how to enroll.”

Greensboro, NC is committed to host the high school national track and field championships until 2023. The New Balance Nationals Outdoor is scheduled to take place at Irwin Belk Track at N.C. A&T June 16-18, 2018.