YORK, PA - The Martin Luther King Kickoff Classic Volleyball Tournament returns this weekend, bringing thousands of athletes and spectators to York County for an event that's anticipated to serve up more than $6 million in economic benefits for the community. 

Hundreds of teams featuring high school-aged athletes from all around the East Coast and Midwest will compete Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with venues spread across Lancaster and York counties. Teams will also hail from Puerto Rico and Canada.

This is the fourth straight year York County has served as one of the host locations for the tournament. The MLK Kickoff Classic started in Philadelphia in 1995, later moved to Lancaster County and expanded to include play in York in 2014. 

The tournament will use the York Expo Center's Utz Arena and Memorial Hall, as well as the Heritage Hills Athletic Club.

"Since expanding to York in 2014, the MLK Kickoff Classic has more than doubled its economic impact for our community, proving again that sports tourism is big business here," said Laura Gurreri, Sales Director for the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau. "This is a phenomenal way to start 2017, which promises to be another standout year for the Sport York program." 

The York County Convention & Visitors Bureau's Sport York program is designed to recruit events and generate additional economic impact in York County. Sport York positions York County as Pennsylvania's Premier Sports Destination, highlighting the area's dynamic facilities and central location on the East Coast. For further information about Sport York, visit www.yorkpa.org/sports.

The York County Convention & Visitors Bureau's Mission is to maximize tourism expenditures and their economic impact in York County, PA, through comprehensive tourism sales and marketing programs. The York County CVB's Vision is for a York County where tourism is recognized for the value of its economic impact and its role in raising the profile of York County as a sought-after destination. For more information on the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau, call 1-888-858-9675 or visit www.yorkpa.org.

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