March Madness is back for a second year at the Henrico Sports & Events Center, as the Atlantic 10 Conference Women’s Basketball Championship tipped off today with three first-round games.
Fans who attended last year may notice more than the enhanced graphics and animations on the jumbotron this time.
There’s also more color and tournament branding throughout the arena as well as a series of gatherings and promotions aimed at attracting new fans. They include chamber of commerce events, a panel discussion and brunch for International Women’s Day and students packing the stands for sessions commemorating Youth Education Through Sports Day.
“We want to do everything that we can to try to introduce a new audience to women’s basketball and women’s sports overall,” said Dennis Bickmeier, executive director of the Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority. “So having those other events helps you do that, especially the Education Day, to get young people out here to see the amazing basketball that’s played out here. Hopefully that inspires somebody.”
Because last year’s A-10 tournament occurred several months after the center’s opening, venue staff were still learning how to manage such a large, multiday event. This year, all the pieces have fallen into place – literally.
“We were just really nervous about even getting the court down last year,” Bickmeier said. “We did that in like two hours and 10 minutes this year. So, every time we do it, the team’s getting better at that. Set up [and] prepping the building, everything came so much easier this time around.”
Changes are noticeable outside the arena, too. A hotel is under construction across the front parking lot, and a pair of apartment buildings have opened nearby.
“I’m excited for when it all gets built out, and you have an event like this, people can walk out of their homes and walk to a world-class basketball event,” Bickmeier said.
Tickets for the A-10 Conference Women’s Basketball Championship are available at henricocenter.com. Options include both single-session and all-session passes – another change from last year. Advanced ticket sales for this year’s tournament are 19% higher than they were last year. The 2024 tournament, which was won by the University of Richmond Spiders, drew more than 16,000 fans.
