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Sporting events bring thousands of fans, dollars to downtown St. Louis

A sold-out crowd of more than 22,400 soccer fans packed CityPark on Saturday for St. Louis CITY SC’s inaugural home match.

ST. LOUIS — It was a big weekend for downtown St. Louis with Arch Madness and the home win for St. Louis CITY SC. Each event brought thousands of people downtown and thousands of dollars to the city.

A sold-out crowd of more than 22,400 soccer fans packed CityPark on Saturday for CITY SC's inaugural home match.

“I feel like the whole community has been waiting such a long time,” CITY fan Ben Licari said. "So to be there at that moment when they finally come home is really a one-of-a-kind experience."

The team won 3-1 against Charlotte FC.

“We need wins, and we'll certainly take that win both on and off the field last night,” Washington University St. Louis Sports Business Director Patrick Rishe said.

But it was also a win for St. Louis.

“It’s good for St. Louis,” fan Margaret Hovis said. "It’s something we needed. ... We’re big fans, so it's just that much sweeter."

Rishe said with tickets and retail spending, that’s a big boost for the city.

“If people were spending on average, let's say, $100 per person on a variety of things, that adds up pretty quickly to close to a quarter of $1,000,000," Rishe said. "Now, some of that will leak out of downtown and go to the county or over to the Illinois side. That's still an injection of money at the end of the day."

It was also a big weekend for college basketball with Arch Madness. Drake Bulldog fans traveled from Des Moines to pack the Enterprise Center.

RELATED: DeVries leads Drake past Bradley for MVC title, NCAA berth in Arch Madness finale

“It's been fabulous," Drake alumna Jeff Stark said. "Like, you couldn't even have drawn it up any better. The wins, the big win today, hospitality of St, Louis and the fun downtown -- it's been off the charts."

Overall, fans said they felt safe downtown.

“It was a great time, very safe, well-lit and parked in the parking garage, took several trips back and forth,” Drake fan Andrew Wheeler said. 

Safety is something Rishe said key for St. Louis to thrive.

“If people don't feel safe, then you're not going to be seeing that energy and those other retailers won't come," Rishe said. "So really, a lot of the responsibility is on city leadership shoulders to do the right thing and make sure that the city is safe when we have these major events."

Battlehawks fans at Ballpark Village, who were disappointed by the loss on Sunday, are hoping the city can show up once again next weekend for their home opener at the Dome at America's Center.

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