3-27-25 Thursday News 6 P.M. E-1
For the fourth year in a row Fort Wayne is honored to welcome back the 77th Annual Lutheran Basketball Association of America’s National Tournament.
Visit Fort Wayne's group sales team helped propose local venues and won the business for 2022 and the tournament has returned annually and will likely continue to host in Fort Wayne through at least 2030. The economic impact this event has brought to our community from the first event in 2022 to this year's event in 2025 is estimated at $4.6 million.
Teams will arrive in Fort Wayne on Thursday, March 27th, and the tournament will take place through Sunday, March 30th. Twenty-two Fort Wayne hotels are being utilized for housing teams and fans, expecting an attendance of 2,300 visitors from all over the nation including 32 boys teams, 25 girls teams, and 6 cheerleading teams from schools as far as California, Iowa, Florida, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and all over the Midwest.
The local teams participating this year are from Emmanuel St. Michael Eagles, both boys and girls teams.
The tournament will be held at the Plassman Athletic Center at Turnstone, taking advantage of the convenience of 4 courts under one roof, with opening ceremonies taking place at the Concordia Theological Seminary on Thursday, March 27th.
Teams will be out and about in the community, participating in a scavenger hunt put together by Visit Fort Wayne to help attendees explore our community and see more of our city during their visit.
Rob Gasser, President of LBAA says, "The 77th Annual Lutheran Basketball of America's National Tournament is back in Fort Wayne for its 4th time after three very successful years. The opening ceremony is held again at the Concordia Theological Seminary on Thursday at 5pm and the games are at Turnstone (Plassman Athletic Center) Friday-Sunday. Additionally, we are thankful for the great support from the Fort Wayne community that has graciously volunteered their time. Details can be found at www.lbaa.org."
Much appreciation goes to the Fort Wayne Lutheran Community for assisting in the planning of the event and for working with local schools on securing volunteers for the event.
Considering the overall economic impact this group brings to Fort Wayne, along with the potential for a repeat opportunity to host, the tournament qualified as a recipient of a sports grant that Visit Fort Wayne manages on behalf of the City of Fort Wayne.
"We always look forward to LBAA's prestigious tournament and the collaboration of servicing their athletes, coaches, and families during their time in Fort Wayne. We welcome them back knowing their tournament is in great hands with our friends at Turnstone," said Jazmin Zavala, Sports Sales Manager at Visit Fort Wayne
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