The Johnston County Sports Council met on August 21st and the first order of business was to elect Jim Godfrey of Clayton as chairman to lead the county-wide efforts to attract sports tournaments and steer the future development of sports and recreation facilities in the county. Godfrey has extensive experience in sports marketing while previously working in the Kinston community.
“Having Jim lead our efforts to develop sports marketing in Johnston County is such a plus for our newly formed sports council – his previous experience will be of great value to us all,” stated Donna Bailey-Taylor, Executive Director, Johnston County Visitors Bureau.
In other business, the Sports Council reviewed and adopted a new logo design created by the Johnston County Visitors Bureau to represent the group. The new logo will be used throughout the marketing efforts and campaigns initiated by the Visitors Bureau. Several projects of interest are currently underway around the county such as the Mountains to the Sea Trail, development of four new bike routes for leisure visitors, and several fall sporting events and tournaments. Sporting events and tournaments are posted on the Visitors Bureau Calendar of Events on the website.
As a member of the North Carolina Sports Association, the Johnston County Visitors Bureau will represent the county at the TEAMS Conference in Detroit on October 1-4, 2012. The TEAMS Conference has the largest presence of NC representatives and the largest attendance from a variety of sports, including non-traditional sports. Leads from all the contacts at TEAMS will be distributed to the members of the Sports Council and county sports organizations for additional follow up.
The Johnston County Tourism Authority established the Johnston County Sports Council last October. The mission of the Sports Council is to bring together Parks & Recreation Departments and county-wide sports organizations to attract a wide range of sports tournaments and events to Johnston County, to market the county as a leisure sports destination, as well as, providing services to promote area visitor-related businesses.
The committee consists of the following members: Jim Godfrey – Chairman / Johnston County Tourism Authority Board Member, Tony Braswell – Johnston County Board of Commissioners, Matt Smith – Benson Parks & Recreation Department, Jonathan Allen – Clayton Parks & Recreation Department, Tim Narron – Kenly Parks & Recreation Department, Joe Carter – Selma Parks & Recreation Department, Gary Johnson - Smithfield Parks & Recreation Department, Charlie Metz – Johnston United Soccer Association, Ed Perfetto – McGees Crossroads Athletic Association, Philip Daniels – News & Observer, Rick Bartholomew – Princeton Little League, Mickey Bridgers – South Johnston High School Sports, Donna Bailey-Taylor – Johnston County Visitors Bureau, and serving as staff liaison, Amanda Astoske – Johnston County Visitors Bureau. The committee meets the 3rd week of each even numbered month for the purpose of any business.
For additional information about the Johnston County Sports Council, please contact Amanda Astoske at 919-989-8687.
