Texas Border Business
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – The City of Brownsville and its Parks and Recreation Department held a press conference, on March 23rd, in partnership with the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation (TAAF) to announce the selection of the City of Brownsville as the 2023 and 2024 host of the Games of Texas (GOT) competition. The upcoming Games of Texas – Brownsville will be hosted July 27th – 30th.
“The (TAAF) Games of Texas is a highly anticipated sporting event for the City,” said Helen Ramirez, AICP, Brownsville City Manager. “We are honored to host the competition, the participants and their families, here, in Brownsville. This event will give Brownsville the opportunity to showcase our hospitality, great food and great local attractions, with a diverse group of athletes and families from all across our great State of Texas.”
“The great thing about the Games of Texas competitions is that it gives athletes the opportunity to feature their talents and abilities,” said Mark Lord, Executive Director of the TAAF. “You never know when one of these athletes will show up in an Olympics competition – competing on the global stage. It can happen!”
Games of Texas is recognized annually by the United States Olympic Committee for their amateur sports festival created for athletes from throughout Texas.
The City is a member of the TAAF and was chosen to host GOT – Brownsville because of its commitment and engagement to promoting amateur athletics, including the promotion of parks, recreation, and leisure services to the communities it serves. The GOT –
Brownsville is promising to create memorable experiences for athletes and their families, and offer athletes the opportunity to advance to state level competitions.
The GOT – Brownsville is expected to host more than 24,000 visitors to the Rio Grande Valley and thousands of athletes in the various competitive sports it will feature. The sporting events will take place across various City venues, including Brownsville Independent School District venues.
The thousands that are expected to descend on the City for the competitive sporting event will be welcomed at regional hotels, including AirBnB properties; retails shops, restaurants, family entertainment venues; City parks, walking and biking trails; and other local attractions.
The GOT – Brownsville will feature athletic competitions in the following sports:
- Basketball (youth)
- Boxing (youth and adults)
- Flag Football (adults)
- Disc Golf (youth and adults)
- Golf (youth and adults)
- Pickleball (adults)
- Skateboarding (youth and adults)
- Softball (youth)
- Swimming (youth and adults)
- Tennis (youth and adults)
- Track & Field (adults)
- Soccer (youth)
Sporting competitions are subject to change depending on participation. Check the GOT – Brownsville special website, www.GamesofTexas.com, regularly for updates.
The City of Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department is seeking volunteers from local schools, universities, businesses and other civic organizations to support the event in July by way of volunteering. If you would like to learn more about how you, and your organization or group of students, can volunteer, please contact the Parks and Recreation Department at (956) 243-7970 or (956) 551-2770.
City of Brownsville leadership have a Vision for this brilliant community. That Vision is to enhance the quality of life for the community by approaching needs through proactive, inspired actions. With this stated, it is the City leadership’s goal to make the City of Brownsville:
- A destination community that is recognized for its high quality of life and active lifestyle.
- A vibrant, innovative, high-quality community with an engaged population.
- A border community with Mexico- an example of safe, prosperous, and attractive community for investment.
- A responsive, transparent, and highly accountable local government.
This beautiful City of Brownsville, features:
- More than 100 miles of hike and bike infrastructure
- More than 70 miles of resacas
- The nationally recognized 31-acre Gladys Porter Zoo, and
- The state’s Number One beach destination – just 30-miles away – South Padre Island
Brownsville is also a highly decorated City. Some of the most recent awards include:
- IDC Smart Cities North America Winner in the category of Digital Equity and Accessibility
- A Top 5 Best Place to Live for Quality of Life in the U.S. – per U.S. News and World Report
- A Top 10 Safest Place to Live in Texas – per U.S. News and World Report
- A Top 20 Safest Place to Live in the U.S. – per U.S. News and World Report
- The 16th Safest City in the United States – per Smartasset
