GoRockford named national sports tourism organization of the year

Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — GoRockford has been named the 2025 Sports Tourism Organization of the Year by the Sports Events & Tourism Association.

The trade industry group honored the Rockford region’s destination marketing and management team as the best in class among communities in the U.S. with fewer than 500,000 people. The award was presented during the 2025 Sports ETA Symposium in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and GoRockford was chosen from more than 80 national entries.

GoRockford was honored for its work in recruiting and hosting sporting events that deliver economic benefits to the community and elevate Rockford’s profile as a premier sports destination.

“I’m so proud of our team and partners for their hard work and support of sports tourism in Rockford. Our region offers world-class facilities that allow us to effectively compete to bring in regional and national sporting events and tournaments, including basketball, bowling, BMX, lacrosse, table tennis, soccer, volleyball and many more,” said Lindsay Arellano, vice president of sales and service for GoRockford, in a news release. “Rockford’s recognition as a hub for destination sporting events will continue to grow.”

Arellano and Kara Davis, senior sales manager, are representing GoRockford at the tradeshow and accepted the award on the organization’s behalf.

“This is a really big deal—not just for our team, but for Rockford and the region,” John Groh, president and CEO of GoRockford, said in a news release. “It affirms that what we’re building here—a thriving, high-performing sports destination—continues to gain national attention. This recognition is a tribute to our hard-working staff and our board, partners and this community that supports and believes in the power of tourism to create opportunity.”

GoRockford has previously been recognized by the Sports Events & Tourism Association, including winning the Sports Tourism Organization of the Year award in 2016 and 2018. It won the destination branding and marketing campaign of the year in 2019 and in 2020 won for event marketing campaign of the year and the locally created event of the year.

Some of GoRockford’s sports tourism wins in the past year include NXT Pro Basketball, the National Collegiate Table Tennis Championships and the Ironman 70.3, which sold out five months ahead of race day.

“Our team is driven by service—to our visitors, our partners and our residents,” Groh said. “Each event we host helps make the Rockford region a better place to live and a more vibrant place to visit.”