TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Paulina Martinez, Director of Economic Development
SUBJECT:
title
Resolution Approving an Agreement with IHSA and Slammers for IHSA State Final Boys Class 3A and 4A Baseball Tournaments
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BACKGROUND:
Since 2005, the City of Joliet has been awarded the hosting rights to an Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Boys Baseball State Finals tournament. In 2021, the City entered into a five-year agreement with IHSA to host Boys Baseball 3A-4A State Finals at what is now known as the Slammers Stadium. The agreement expires at the end of this year, and IHSA is interested in entering into another five-year agreement with City to keep the Boys Baseball 3A-4A State Final Tournament in Joliet for another.
Under the Agreement, the tournament would again be held at Slammers Stadium Field. The agreement would be between The City of Joliet (fiscal host), the Joliet Slammers (operations/facility host), and the IHSA. As the fiscal host, the City of Joliet covers the following items:
• Administration (Heritage Corridor Destinations)
• IHSA officials sponsorship
• Promotional items & fireworks
• Stadium rental
• Supplies
• Welcome picnic and keynote speaker
On September 23, 2026, the Land Use & Economic Development Committee recommended City Council approval.
CONCLUSION:
The proposed agreement is substantially the same as the previous agreement with minor modifications, including an explicit clause from the City and the Slammers to have formalized recognition as the event’s hosts. The second change is the formalization of the relationship with the Slammers as a co-host of the event.
In the previous agreement, the parties in the agreement were the City, IHSA, and the Heritage Corridor. Based on staff’s research, it is proposed that the City enters a separate agreement with the Heritage Corridor to be the tournament’s hospitality partner.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Based on the above, it is recommended that a Resolution Approving an Agreement with IHSA and Slammers for IHSA State Final Boys Class 3A and 4A Baseball Tournaments is approved by the City Council.
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