Washington, DC, September 7th, 2023 – WDCEP celebrates The Atlantic 10 Conference’s (The Atlantic 10) decision to relocate their headquarters to Washington, D.C. The Atlantic 10 will be the first and only Division I Conference to have its headquarters based in the nation’s capital. The Atlantic 10 will begin to take residency in their new offices in November of 2023. The move is expected to be completed in June of 2024, following the 2023-24 academic and athletic year. The conference has been headquartered in Newport News, VA., since the fall of 2009. The decision to move was unanimously supported by the Atlantic 10 Presidents Council.
“The District is a vibrant major location with significant advantages in travel, economics and nationally recognized media,” stated A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. “Washington provides access to a highly educated, diverse community that embraces Fortune 500 companies, innovative technology and is the political center of the world, all factors in the current college athletics landscape. With its robust sports history and dedicated fan bases throughout the national capital region, we are proud and excited to move to Washington, D.C.”
Efficiency of travel to and from the league office played a significant role in the decision to relocate, with seven of the league’s 15 members within a four-hour commute, and three major airports providing direct flight access to the entire conference footprint. This also allows the A-10 Presidents Council and other governance groups to easily reach the conference office for meetings.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome the Atlantic 10 Conference headquarters to the Sports Capital,” said DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. “DC is a city where people and organizations come to collaborate, attract new talent, and grow. We also know that sports bring people together, so having the A-10 in DC is a win-win for our city and for sports. We look forward to working with Commissioner McGlade and her team on the new partnerships and opportunities ahead and welcoming their 15 member schools to the best city in the world.”
Washington D.C. has been an outstanding host for previous A-10 championship events, notably the 2018 and 2022 Men’s Basketball Championships at Capital One Area. The men’s championship will be played in the District again in 2025.
“Bringing the Atlantic 10 to D.C. was a collective effort between the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning & Economic Development, DestinationDC, Events DC and WDCEP,” said Chad Shuskey, Interim President & CEO, WDCEP. “The Atlantic 10’s relocation reinforces the District as a premier destination for marquee collegiate events as well as a top location for headquarters.”
Atlantic 10’s new headquarters will include office space, and a state-of-the-art media, television production and broadcast studio. The space allows for large conference meetings to be held in the home office building both virtually and in-person. The studio will complement the A-10’s inventory of digitally produced A-10 content with studio shows, podcasts and educational seminars for more than 5,000 A-10 student-athletes, fans and alumni. It will also be made available to the A-10 membership for the creation and production of institutional content.
The Atlantic 10 Conference headquarters relocation to Washington, DC demonstrates the city’s ability to attract major athletic organizations even with the evolving college sports landscape. “The changing landscape of collegiate athletics presented a unique opportunity for WDCEP and the city to recruit a major D-1 Conference headquarters,” said Mike O’Hara, co-chair of WDCEP Board of Directors and Principal of Bohler DC. “This is a tribute to our city’s strengths.”
The Washington DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP) is a non-profit, public-private organization whose core purpose is to actively position, promote, and support economic development and business opportunities in the District of Columbia.
WDCEP’s mission is to promote the District’s economic and business opportunities through supporting business retention and attraction activities. WDCEP is the central organization in the District that connects both the public and private sectors as well as neighborhood communities to local, national, and international audiences. WDCEP’s unique position is owed to its historical knowledge of the city’s business and economic climate; accurate analytics, data, and research; and access to community partners.
WDCEP collaborates with its partners in the city to facilitate dynamic relationships with technology visionaries, artists, real estate entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and global enterprise leaders based on independent thinking and objective insights. We stay one step ahead of the vibrant and evolving economic landscape by monitoring the pulse of DC’s developers, startups, entrepreneurs, and large and small businesses.
Contact:
Catherine Timko, 202-365-7470
catherine@theriddlecompany.com
Jez Kline, Washington DC Economic Partnership
jkline@wdcep.com
