Event Fact Sheet

Event Name: Perfect Game Wood World Bat Association (WWBA) 13U & 14U World Championship

Event Owner: Perfect Game USA, Inc.

Grant Recommendation: $20,000 (FY 24)

FSF Funding: TBD

Dates: October 13‐16, 2023

Sport: Baseball

Level of Competition: Amateur

Age Range: 13‐14

Proposed Venues: Ballpark of the Palm Beaches (13 total diamonds) Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium (13 total diamonds)

Estimated Participation & Projecting 68 total teams (54 traveling & 14 South Florida)

Room Nights: 54 traveling teams * 18 players per team = 972 total youth athletes

54 traveling teams * 2 coaches per team = 108 total coaches

54 traveling teams * 27 spectators per team = 1,458 total spectators

2,538 total traveling participants / 4 people per room = 635 rooms rooms * 3.5 nights = 2,222 room nights

Estimated Economic Impact: 972 youth athletes * $120.36 avg. daily spending * 3.5 days = $409,465

Event Description:

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission won the bid to host the Perfect Game World Wood Bat Association (WWBA) World Championship 13U World Championship and 14U World Championship this fall. The Perfect Game WWBA 14U World Championship will take place for the third consecutive year in The Palm Beaches while the 13U World Championship will make its second appearance in Palm Beach County. Perfect Game is the predominant scouting service and event rights holder in amateur baseball and the Perfect Game WWBA 14U World Championship and 13U Championship are recognized as the most prestigious baseball tournaments in those respective age groups.

The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is partnering with The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches and Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium to simultaneously host the Perfect Game WWBA 14U World Championship and 13U World Championship on October 13‐16. Perfect Game will utilize up to 26 diamonds at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach and Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter. These events will take place just a few days after the Perfect Game WWBA World Championship and Freshman World Championship finish at Palm Beach County’s spring training baseball facilities.

The Perfect Game WWBA 14U World Championship will take place for the third straight year in Palm Beach County, after relocating from Panama City. The Perfect Game WWBA 14U World Championship is a wood‐bat only tournament, which attracts the top high school baseball players in the nation that are scheduled to graduate in 2028. The format consists of pool play and each team is guaranteed a minimum of four (4) games. Only one team will be crowned a world champion. The event has fielded 262 players that received scholarships to play college baseball over its history. Baseball organizations from across the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean will compete. The 2023 Perfect Game 14U World Championship is capped at 48 teams.

The Perfect Game WWBA 13U World Championship will take place in Palm Beach County for the second time, after relocating from Panama City. The Perfect Game 13U World Championship was launched in 2021. Perfect Game intends to develop an array of events for this age group as it’s growing rapidly from a competitive standpoint. The Perfect Game WWBA World Championship is being positioned as the premier event for the 13U age group and only the top travel teams for this age division are invited. This is also a wood bat tournament with a pool play format. Each team is guaranteed four (4) games and only one team will be crowned champion. In 2023, a total of 20 teams will participate in the Perfect Game WWBA 13U World Championship.

Tourism Impacts:

The Perfect Game WWBA 14U and 13U World Championships will create a strong economic and tourism impact for Palm Beach County. In total, these events bring 68 baseball teams to The Palm Beaches, consisting of 972 visiting athletes, 108 coaches, and over 1,400 traveling spectators. These events are expected to generate 2,222 hotel room nights and $1.7 million in direct visitor spending.

Last year, these events generated 2,376 total room nights, which generated $431,482 in hotel revenue. These events also created a projected $1.6 million in visitor spending.

Scouts:

The Perfect Game WWBA 14U World Championship will attract over 300 collegiate and professional baseball scouts. Professional scouts and college recruiters will take advantage of this unique gathering o f the best amateur baseball players in the nation for the 14U age group. The MLB scouts will utilize golf carts to view as many as 12 games taking place simultaneously at each of Palm Beach County’s spring training facilities.

The impact from scouts were not included in the room projections mentioned above. Scouts do not book rooms within the hotel block and their overnight stays are very difficult to track. Scouts are responsible for approximately 72 rooms with an average of 2‐3 overnight stays during these events.

Event Schedule:

Thursday, October 13th: Team Registration and Pool Play for 14U / 13U ages, from 2pm to 10pm

Friday, October 14th: Pool Play takes place from 8am to 10 pm

Saturday, October 15th: Pool Play takes place from 8am to 10 pm

Sunday, October 16th: Elimination rounds /Championship Game / consolation games occur

Event History:

The Perfect Game WWBA 14U World Championship took place in Panama City in October from 2019‐21. The event relocated to Palm Beach County in October of 2022. The Perfect Game WWBA 13U World Championship was created in 2021. This event relocated to Palm Beach County to coincide with the Perfect Game WWBA 14U World Championship. Last year, both events created 2,376 hotel room nights.

Marketing & Media:

Perfect Game’s reputation as a baseball scouting service is unsurpassed. The Perfect Game WWBA World Championship and Freshman World Championship will receive significant media exposure in baseball publications, especially the renowned “Baseball America” and “Baseball Weekly”. The Perfect Game WWBA 14U & 13U World Championships will also receive media exposure in “Baseball America” and “Baseball Weekly. In 2020, the Perfect Game TV was launched and is broadcasted nationally and globally. The Perfect Game WWBA events will be featured on Perfect Game TV.

Scouting Service Facts:

Perfect Game has more talented players in attendance than any other organization. The proof is in the results. A total of 13,901 Perfect Game players have been drafted by Major League Baseball (MB) teams. Today, 1,875 alumni of Perfect Game are playing for MLB teams. Perfect Game simply provides talented players with a means to be identified and evaluated closely while competing with and against the best worldwide. Perfect Game identifies players, provides an opinion, and then lets Major League scouts and college coaches form their own.

About Perfect Game:

About Perfect Game:

Founded in 1995, Perfect Game USA has become the world’s largest scouting service and youth baseball platform. Perfect Game organizes 9,819 events annually, which consists of 141,588 baseball games. Perfect Game oversees 69,907 teams from 40 different states participating within its event ecosystem.

Perfect Game is the premier provider of amateur baseball events, hosting the highest quality of travel team tournaments and individual showcases throughout the country. Recognized as the leader in holding high level events, Perfect Game hosts showcases throughout the country for high school players. All participants receive scouting reports and videos on their PG Player profiles, providing maximum exposure to college coaches and MLB Scouts.

Perfect Game attracts the most talented amateur players in the nation and the proof is in the results. A total of 13,901 of Perfect Game’s alumni have been selected in the Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft since 2003. The number of MLB draft picks for Perfect Game leads all other baseball organizations.