After A Successful Final Four, Nashville May Get A Second Chance At Hosting

The NCAA Women’s Final Four was held this year at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Credit: Rex Hammock via Flickr

Nashville hosted its first NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four tournament in early April, and because of the NCAA’s positive reaction to the event, the city is considered a finalist for hosting it again.

“The post-event feedback from the teams, the media, the fans, was second to none. Everybody was incredibly happy with the city of Nashville and the event of the women’s basketball Final Four,” Anucha Browne, the NCAA vice-president of women’s basketball championships, said at a press conference Tuesday.

Part of the reason for such positive feedback was that Nashville brought in record-setting numbers of fans. During the tournament, Bridgestone Arena sold out tickets for both the semifinal and championship games.

Nashville also had record numbers at the “Salute On Tour,” an event honoring student athletes at the Ryman Auditorium.

On television, the game was the most watched women’s championship game since 2004.

In addition to the Nashville residents in attendance, around 30,000 visitors came to the city to watch the games. The NCAA says these tourists spent around $20 million in direct revenue.

According to the Nashville Business Journal, the NCAA is considering changing how the tournament is hosted.  The organization might choose a permanent or semi-permanent home for the tournament, rather than moving to a different city each year. If the NCAA did make the change, Nashville could be a strong contender for the women’s Final Four’s home.

The NCAA says it is considering seven finalists to host the women’s Final Four in the years 2017 to 2020. Besides Nashville, only two other finalist cities have hosted the tournament before, giving Nashville a good shot at being selected to host again. Decisions regarding the finalists are expected in November.