The Southeastern Conference women’s basketball tournament has extend its agreement with the city of Greenville through 2028. The Bon Secours Wellness Arena (BSWA) will host the popular and ever-growing championship series.
In the tournament’s history, 14 cities have hosted the women’s basketball conference championship games since its inception in 1980. After the 2028 season, Greenville will have hosted the most tournaments in conference history, with 11 total championship games played at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
Its first time being held in Greenville was in 2005, back when BSWA was named the Bi-Lo Center. Since then, it has left an impression good enough to continue hosting.
“The city’s hospitality and organization combined with the quality of the arena make Greenville an ideal location to provide a memorable experience for SEC women’s basketball student-athletes, coaches and fans,” said SEC commissioner Greg Sankey in a release. “The City of Greenville and Bon Secours Wellness Arena have proven to be successful hosts of the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament, and we are pleased to call Greenville home for the next three additional years.
Bon Secours Wellness Arena has hosted the SEC Women’s Conference Tournament in 2024, 2023, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2017, and 2005 and will host again in 2025 on March 5-9. Ticket information will be released later.
South Carolina has participated in the conference tournament since its invitation into the league in 1991. They have won the second most titles (8), trailing only behind Tennessee (17).
Past years economic impact of the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament
In Greenville’s seven years hosting the SEC tournament, the championship series continues to eclipse its previous year’s economic impact totals, according to previous studies provided by VisitGreenvilleSC.
“Enhancing our sports events pipeline remains a priority, delivering substantial economic benefits to our community and exceptional entertainment for residents and visitors alike,” said Heath Dillard, president and CEO of VisitGreenvilleSC.
“We are ecstatic,” he added about the opportunity to host.
According to reports, in 2023, Greenville businesses saw total direct visitor spending of $9.8 million in economic impact due to the annual women’s tournament. In comparison, the 2022 NCAA Men’s Tournament in Greenville accumulated $5.6 million in direct spending and contributed $9 million in total economic impact to the county.
The 2023 NCAA Women’s Tournament generated around $4.2 million in direct spending and $6.6 million in total economic impact, according to Taryn Scher of TKPR.
Saturday was the busiest night of the 2023 tournament, and it figures to be repeated through the continuation of the SEC tournament. Downtown hotels saw a 94% occupancy rate, and 85% of hotels across Greenville County were filled during the 2023 tournament.
For the entire five-day tournament in 2023, downtown hotels achieved 85% occupancy, and the county achieved 76 percent.
– A.J. Jackson covers the food & dining scene, along with arts, entertainment and downtown culture for The Greenville News. Contact him by email at ajackson@gannett.com, and follow him on X (formally Twitter) @ajhappened. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription.
