Thunder Bay Under-18 Baseball World Cup made less money than in 2010 but organizers still pleased

The head of the organization responsible for hosting the 2017 Under-18 Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay, Ont., says the venture turned a profit, but not one as big as the last time the tournament came to the Lakehead.

Still, Warren Philp, the executive director of the Thunder Bay International Baseball Association (TBIBA), said organizers are pleased with the way things went, especially as the tournament went on.

• U.S. claims gold in Under-18 Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay, Ont.

"Different time of year, September 1st to the 10th, we had some weather challenges up front," Philp said. "That kept the numbers down a little bit, but we were pleased the way the tournament wrapped up, the stadium absolutely packed and overflowing almost for the final game."

The United States beat Korea 8-0 in the tournament final in front of a packed Port Arthur Stadium. Japan came third, downing Canada 8-1 in the bronze medal game.

"There's good things and bad things about the ticket sales but all-in-all, the feedback that we're getting from the community, from the volunteers, the funders and sponsors, was it was a huge success," Philp said.

The event made about $90,000, he continued, citing preliminary, unaudited financial figures. That's down from the roughly $250,000 the 2010 tournament pulled in, owing to fewer fans coming through the gates in 2017. Philp said about 32,000 tickets were sold over the 10-day tournament, while in 2010, it was closer to 40,000-45,000.

Any profits go into the baseball association's coffers, Philp said, where the money is used to host future events or to help further develop the sport locally. After the 2010 tournament, more than $20,000 was given to various baseball organizations in the city, he added.

Other numbers organizers touted, included the 12.9 million people from 207 countries worldwide who watched the tournament online.

"Although it may have just been the tournament game action ... mentioned in these hits, the games were being played in Thunder Bay," Philp said. "So either directly or indirectly, however you want to measure it, Thunder Bay's getting exposure."

Annual general meeting a chance to look ahead

How the profits from the 2017 tournament will be allocated will start to become clearer during the TBIBA's annual general meeting, scheduled for March.

"That's when the process will begin of doing an assessment of where the organization wants to go," Philp said when asked if the organization would consider another bid for the under-18 world cup in the future.

"Everyone who comes on-board has to be of the understanding that, if we get into event hosting, that board of directors is on the hook financially for any shortfall that comes," he said. "So that has to be kept in mind."

One area of interest is further developing the sport in the Thunder Bay area, he said. "

There's lots of exciting possibilities there with some of the things going on in the local baseball community, so it may be something that the organization wants to focus on a bit more," he said.