Women's bowling championships coming to Addison

Returning to the Chicago area for the first time since 1935, the 2021 United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships will be co-hosted by Stardust Bowl of Addison and the DuPage Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"Participants have asked us to take the Women's Championships to venues throughout the country, particularly the Midwest, and we will make that happen over the next four years," USBC Executive Director Chad Murphy said.

"Stardust Bowl knows what it takes to deliver a successful event and, along with the DuPage CVB, will be gracious hosts when the Women's Championships hits the Chicago area."

The highly competitive host selection process began with a request for proposal last year by the USBC and, ultimately, was won as a result of the joint effort between Stardust Bowl and the visitors bureau.

"We're thrilled to host an event that has such a great history," Stardust Bowl owner Henry Barber said. "I know the competitors in the 2021 Women's Championships will have a great time in DuPage County, and our staff will be excited to welcome women bowlers from throughout the country to our center."

Stardust Bowl is the largest bowling center in Illinois, with 84 lanes, and has a rich history as a key sports tourism partner and advocate for DuPage County.

Just in the past five years, Stardust Bowl has welcomed dozens of national, intercollegiate and youth events, including the 2016 U.S. Women's Open, 2015 Junior Gold Championships and multiple intercollegiate championships that attracted more than 25,000 competitors and visitors to DuPage. These events collectively produced an estimated $26 million in economic impact.

The 2021 Women's Championship will set the bar even higher beginning in April and running continuously through the end of July. The Championship is expected to attract more than 32,000 competitors and visitors, resulting in an estimated economic impact of more than $20 million.

"Tourism in DuPage is a $2.5 billion industry that creates 22,000 jobs and pumps $42 million back into local government coffers annually," visitors bureau Executive Director Beth Marchetti said.

"This is simply a great opportunity for us to showcase the area to thousands of visitors while providing significant economic impact to our many communities."

"Sports tourism isn't a trend, it's a $9.45 billion industry and it's continuing to grow," visitors bureau Director of Business Development Justin Roach said. "DuPage has a rich sports tourism fabric built on the tradition of hosting historic championship events at venues including the Oak Brook Polo Grounds and Medinah Country Club.

"The 2021 USBC Women's Championship at Stardust Bowl will become another signature event our communities will be proud of hosting."

To learn more about the USBC Women's Championships, visit BOWL.com/WomensChamp.