Men’s volleyball championship serves up big win for Windsor businesses

The University of Windsor’s Toldo Lancer Centre. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor)

Hosting the 2026 U Sports Men’s Volleyball Championship could generate $750,000 in economic impact across Windsor-Essex, tourism officials estimate.

Action in the three-day tournament wrapped up Sunday at the University of Windsor’s Toldo Lancer Centre.

The national event drew eight teams from across Canada, and included the host Lancers.

“It’s an opportunity for the University of Windsor, Windsor Lancers athletics, to show off our incredible facility. So, Toldo Lancer Centre, you know, three plus years now it’s been open. It is one of the best athletic facilities in the country,” said Stephanie White, the university’s director of athletics

“It also brings people to the Windsor-Essex area, many people who have never been here, because we’re bringing teams from across the country into this area.”

Throughout the weekend, the tournament drew crowds of thousands to the centre to take in the action.

“So it really does, not just bring people into the Windsor community, Windsor-Essex, but we’re also trying to ask them to come back again in future and enjoy it,” White said.

By the end of the weekend, about 200 players and coaches will have spent about six nights in the region, said Gordon Orr, the CEO of Tourism Windsor-Essex Pelee Island.

Once factoring in the additional family and friends who travelled to watch the games, Orr estimated the region would see about $250,000 in hotel revenue, with the overall economic spinoff three times higher.

Investments in facilities such as the Toldo Lancer Centre, Orr said, have positioned Windsor-Essex for a bigger role in sports tourism.

In past, Windsor has hosted the Women’s National Basketball Championships, and more recently, the finals for track and field.

“So what we’ve done is we’ve got a lot of different sports that are coming to the region, and it’s really accounting for a lot of our hotel occupancy and helping us generate economic benefit,” Orr said.

The tournament has filled hotel rooms at a time of year often associated with a slowdown.

The best-case scenario, Orr said, is for the men’s volleyball tournament to further showcase Windsor’s potential for other sporting events.

“Other sport organizers start to say, ' Hey, maybe we could host our event in Windsor,’ So what we need is we need an all team approach,” he said.