Normally, the NSC is a busy place year round. This time of year the College Showcase for Girls’ Soccer would have been held, there would also be hockey year round and figure skating. But this is not a normal spring.
With a facility that is 700 acres in size, and maintaining 8 sheets of ice, Soli says it gets very expensive. It’s unclear how much can be recouped later in the year.
“We’ve never been shut down like this before so obviously our team is working as hard as it can on contingency plans. We’re trying not to cancel events at this point in time, but rather re-schedule them for later in the year,” Soli said. “However as things get pushed further and further out, it makes it really challenging to get everything in.”
The temporary closure also adds to the financial hit in the surrounding community.
“It’s tough for me to put an exact dollar amount on it,” said Blaine’s Community Development Director Erik Thorvig. “But I know there will be an impact not just in Blaine but regionally with the loss of some of those big tournaments if they don’t happen this year.”
Thorvig says hotels, restaurants and sporting goods stores all benefit when the National Sports Center is open.
“The sports center is very much a part of the fabric of our community. When people think of Blaine they think of the NSC, so it’s very important that they are able to continue in our community, make investments in their facilities,” said Thorvig. “So we are definitely monitoring the situation they’re having over there.”
No decision has been made on what the USA Cup tournament will look like for 2020. Sara Soli says the NSC will review the impact of the Corona Virus on travel and other restrictions in mid-April and again in mid-May.
The center, meanwhile, is making a rare move to help make ends meet. They are putting out a call for donations.
“As a nonprofit we haven’t had to do a lot of appeals in the past because we’ve been able to make things work,” said Soli. “But we are outreaching to individuals, people who have great memories of the NSC, people who use us as part of their community assets.”
You can find out how to donate on the National Sports Center website: https://www.nscsports.org/.
