Potential sports commission to attract big events

According to excerpts from the story:

The rule of the sports commission would be to market and sell Grand Rapids and venues in it, like the Van Andel Arena, the Delta Plex, DeVos Place and Ford Fieldhouse as a place to hold amateur sporting events.

Businessman and former ambassador Peter Secchia is one of the main people pitching the idea. "Everybody knows we're an exciting city, we're a clean city," he said.

At a news conference at Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, community leaders talked about the need for funding more than $200,000 in start-up costs with an annual budget between $200,000 and $250,000. They also say the sports commission would be affiliated with a local convention and visitors bureau.

Read the complete story here.