From wire reports
RENO, Nev. — During the United States Bowling Congress’ Annual Meeting, the organization’s executive director made some of the biggest news of the day.
USBC executive director Chad Murphy reported that near-steady membership and growing tournament entries will mean no dues increase will be required until at least 2031, three years later than the organization’s prior projection.
Murphy justifiably called it “a massive win for the organization.”
Murphy reported that USBC membership has gone from 1,053,129 in the post-COVID recovery year of 2021-22 to 1,093,909 in 2022-23, 1,093,000 in 2023-24, 1,075,194 in 2024-25, and 1,066,400 this season.
Edging down roughly 1 percent is a huge win for an organization that routinely experienced 5 to 6 percent declines annually.
For the USBC Women’s Championships, entries starting with 2022 have gone from 3,155 teams to 4,148 to 3,688 to 4,099 to 4,235 projected this year, to 4,500 projected in 2027 in the Charlotte, N.C. area.
For the USBC Open Championships, entries starting in 2023 have gone from 9,565 teams to 11,012, to 11,684, to 11,058 projected this year, to 12,400 projected in 2027 in Las Vegas.
Murphy said the future of the tournament going to the eastern U.S. is on the line the next two years with the Women’s Championships going to the Charlotte area in 2027 and the Open Championships to Greenville, S.C., in 2028.
The next years for the Open Championships without scheduled host cities are 2031, 2034 and 2037, and Murphy said Las Vegas is likely to get 2031.
USBC has done RFPs seeking bids for those three years and “we do have a few options in there,” Murphy said. “None of them have appeared that they will return a city to bid. We had originally slated Baton Rouge for ‘31 because we knew we were going to have a good event. They are renovating their convention center, and it won’t be ready till ‘34 and then also the bid process changed a little bit, and so we basically pushed that conversation out to 34. Greenville would obviously like it again.
“We can go a lot of places that have not been preferred by the bowlers before. Most of the options that you’re asking about aren’t better than having it in Vegas or Reno. And so Vegas is a better option, and more than likely, if nothing changes, ‘31 will be held in Vegas. But there is an open RFP.”
A source in Baton Rouge told 11thframe.com that Louisiana has been discussing turning the River Center where USBC tourneys have been held in recent years, including the 2025 Open Championships, into more of a convention hall with a hotel, rather than an arena, while LSU would build a new sports/concert arena.
Murphy also said work was being done to bring the Junior Gold Championships back to Las Vegas. It was scheduled for Las Vegas during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that event was canceled and the city fell off the schedule.
“We don’t have a lot of folks out west that are interested in the event,” Murphy said. “The best location for the event out west is still Las Vegas. And I would tell you that privately, I personally have been recommitted to that. Just last Sunday night, I met with casino operators in Las Vegas — the GMs of the bowling centers. … We don’t have a deal done yet, but we have what I would call a agreement on intent to get to a deal and so stay tuned there.”
USBC OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS FUTURE SITES
2027 – Las Vegas
2028 – Greenville, S.C.
2029 – Reno
2030 – Las Vegas
2031 – TBD
2032 – Reno
2033 – Las Vegas
2034 – TBD
2035 – Reno
2036 – Las Vegas
2037 – TBD
2038 – Reno
2039 – Las Vegas