WPU Athletic Events Provide 1M Dollars in Local Economic Impact in 2021-2022
Oskaloosa–William Penn University Athletics continues to provide a major economic impact to the Oskaloosa community as it returns to normalcy after the pandemic.
Back to capacity crowds, WPU hosted well over 100 athletic competitions during the 2021-2022 academic year and those events accounted for an estimated economic impact of $1,007,500 for the Oskaloosa community.
The Statesmen held conference tournament events for men’s wrestling, men’s basketball, men’s volleyball, men’s lacrosse, and track and field. Those events helped generate $147,000 with $56,000 coming from track and field and $50,000 from men’s wrestling.
The athletic department also hosted an NAIA National Tournament Opening Round for men’s basketball, generating $68,000 over a 72-hour period.
In addition to regular competitions, the University also hosted special events in men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s volleyball, track and field, and shotgun sports, in which WPU generated nearly $130,000, headlined by $39,000 from women’s volleyball for its Labor Day Classic.
Of the one million generated, over 40% came from food purchases by participants and fans, while over 20% came from lodging. The remaining impact was brought in via additional expenses, including travel costs and general spending in the community.
Data was gathered throughout the year using surveys and information from individuals who purchased tickets at events, while also using data from different economic impact studies and information from economic development groups on average spending per visitor.
“We take great pride in being an economic driver in our community and have a deep understanding that our athletic department can contribute to the bottom line of our businesses is Oskaloosa,” William Penn Athletics Director Nik Rule said. “We will continue to be aggressive in doing what we need to do in order to create and build intercollegiate athletic events that attract other schools and bid for conference and national-level opportunities to bring folks in from all around the country to experience what our great community has to offer.”
