PORTLAND, Maine — The Professional Bowlers Association will return to Portland for an event in 2016 after finding success in its inaugural visit to the city this year, an event organizer said Thursday afternoon.
Brian Corcoran, president of Shamrock Sports & Entertainment, announced during a forum talk at the University of Southern Maine that his group reached a deal Wednesday with the PBA, Maine Sports Commission, Bayside Bowl and state of Maine to bring the high-profile league back April 2-3 of next year.
The forum was part of the commission’s Business of Sports Symposium, which also included a keynote address by Boston Red Sox executive Charles Steinberg.
Corcoran asked how many people in the audience had ever bowled, and nearly everyone in USM’s Hannaford Hall raised their hands.
“It’s underestimated how loyal, how passionate and how much love there is for the game here in southern Maine,” he said.
Last month, the PBA brought top bowling stars like two-time reigning Player of the Year Jason Belmonte and the upstart Josh Blanchard for an event that attracted more than 500 fans and cable network ESPN to the Bayside venue.
The competition was scheduled to be broadcast over the course of several weeks on the sports network, with the next installment to air this Sunday at 1 p.m.
Corcoran said the ESPN airings showcase Maine to as many as half a million viewers.
