Latest News
SSE Committee Public Meeting Notice
Due to COVID-19, we ask that non-committee members attend this month's Sports & Special Events committee meeting via Zoom if possible. BOARD: Sports & Special Events Committee, Tourist Development Council of Polk County, Florida DATE AND TIME OF MEETING: Jan...
Lane wins Bernie Little Sports Executive Award
Some athletes give back to their sport. Many give back to their community. Bobby Lane does both – at the same time. For his efforts, Lane recently received the Bernie Little Sports Executive Award. Voted on by a committee comprised of sports legends and local...
In Memoriam: Ken Riley
Ken Riley, whose journey from Union Academy to the NFL and the halls of academia would inspire countless other Polk County athletes, passed away Sunday morning. He was 72. While Riley’s success on the field as both an athlete and later as the head coach of Florida...
We’ll Be Here
A message from the director of Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing, Mark Jackson
Grand National Hydros coming to Orange Cup Regatta
Move over snake orgy, the Grand National Hydros are coming. Larger, faster and more powerful than any boat recently on Lake Hollingsworth, the Grand National Hydroplanes are the latest addition to 82nd Annual Orange Cup Regatta, the start of the American Powerboat...
The Florida road to basketball riches runs through Polk
Polk State College will host The Basketball Tournament's Florida regional WINTER HAVEN - The Basketball Tournament (TBT), the 64-team, $2 million winner-take-all event televised live on ESPN, today announced plans to bring one of their TBT 2020 regionals to Polk State...
RussMatt 2020 kicks off with Winter Haven NCAA D-I clash
WINTER HAVEN – Notching its ninth 30-plus win season in its 150-year history, two top NCAA Division I teams, the Boston College Eagles and Northern Illinois University Huskies, will compete at historic Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven to kick off the 2020 RussMatt...
SSAC Basketball State Quarter Finals this weekend
LAKELAND – High school teams from throughout Florida will gather in Winter Haven this weekend for the Sunshine State Athletic Conference (SSAC) Basketball State Quarter Finals. More than 30 teams will be involved over the weekend. Teams participating include: SSAC...
USA Softball Women’s National Team to hold Training Camp in Lakeland
OKLAHOMA CITY – USA Softball is proud to announce that the 2020 USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) will hold a training camp in Lakeland, Fla., prior to the start of the “Stand Beside Her” tour. Held at Barnett Athletic Complex, 111 Lake Hollingsworth Drive,...
Fieldhouse has new internationally known tenet
WINTER HAVEN – The recently opened AdventHealth Fieldhouse and Conference Center has its first tenant. And they are an internationally renowned powerhouse. YBOA – Youth Basketball of America – will be relocating their national headquarters to Winter Haven, thanks to a...