Royals surprise: Phoenix suburb should benefit from Kansas City World Series win
Nov 3, 2015, 5:09 PM
Member of the Kansas City Royals celebrates after Game 5 of the Major League Baseball World Series against the New York Mets Monday, Nov. 2, 2015, in New York. The Royals won 7-2 to win the series. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
PHOENIX — A Phoenix-area city is celebrating alongside the World Series-winning Kansas City Royals.
The city of Surprise is celebrating because it is the spring home of the Royals, who won their first World Series in 30 years on Sunday. Arizona Cactus League officials are predicting the city will benefit from the team’s success.
“It not only will benefit Surprise, but it will also benefit the other facilities in the Cactus League,” Mark Coronado, president of the Arizona Cactus League, said of the team’s title.
The Royals also made the 2014 World Series, but lost to the San Francisco Giants. The Giants also play in the Cactus League.
“The Giants drew approximately 20,000 more just to Scottsdale [last year], and the Royals drew approximately 12,000 more fans just in Surprise,” Coronado said.
And now that the Royals have won, Coronado expects that revenue boost could be even higher.
“Almost 60 percent of the fans who attend a Cactus League event have an average stay of four to five days,” he said. “And about 60 percent approximately are from out of town.”
Coronado said he is expecting an increase in business for restaurants, hotels, vendors and ticket sales across the league in 2016.
