Cleveland, Ohio -- The NCAA has announced today that the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC) have been awarded the bid to host the Division I Women’s Final Four in 2024 at Quicken Loans Arena (The Q) in Cleveland.
“Today we learned from the NCAA that we have been selected to host the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four. We are so proud to bring the pinnacle of women’s basketball back to Cleveland and to showcase our great city and vibrant downtown to another generation of basketball fans,” said Dr. Jon Steinbrecher, Commissioner of the Mid-American Conference. “The Mid-American Conference has been aggressive in pursuing NCAA championship events. We have a great team in Cleveland and northeast Ohio which includes the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, Quicken Loans Arena, a long track record of successfully hosting NCAA events, and a great and supportive fan base that is passionate about intercollegiate athletics.”
The MAC, GCSC and The Q previously served as host to the NCAA Women’s Final Four in 2007, which included Tennessee, LSU, Rutgers and North Carolina. Tennessee won its seventh Division I Women’s Basketball Championship with a 59-46 win over Rutgers on April 3, 2007.
The MAC, GCSC and The Q also hosted the 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional in Cleveland on March 26-28, 2015, the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on March 15-17, 2018 and will host the upcoming 2020 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament First and Second Rounds on March 20-22, 2020.
Quicken Loans Arena and the MAC have a long-standing working relationship. For 19 years, The Q has served as the host venue for the MAC Men’s Basketball Tournament (since 2000) and the MAC Women’s Basketball Tournament (since 2001). The Men’s Basketball Tournament at The Q is the second longest running neutral site men’s tournament in the nation.
“Due to the outstanding efforts of the Mid-American Conference and Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, the opportunity to successfully host another prestigious NCAA Championship event and the positive impact it will have on our city cannot be understated,” said Len Komoroski, Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena CEO. “We are thrilled to welcome the NCAA Women’s Final Four back to Cleveland in 2024 to a newly renovated and modernized arena, and look forward to providing the student athletes and college basketball fans across the region and country with an incredible tournament experience.”
The MAC and GCSC have partnered to host several NCAA Division I Championship events and have been aggressive in bidding for future Division I Championship events. The MAC and GCSC have also partnered to host the NCAA Women’s Bowling Championships (2012, 2014, 2019).
“After hosting this Championship in 2007, Cleveland is again looking forward to embracing the NCAA DI Women’s Final Four with open arms and continuing to champion women in sports and business,” said David Gilbert, President and CEO of Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. “This announcement would not have been possible without the hard work and support of our partners at Mid-American Conference and Quicken Loans Arena. Our organizations are committed to expanding Cleveland’s footprint by showcasing this national event to continue to inspire our community’s growth.”
Mid-American Conference
Founded in 1946, the Mid-American Conference is an NCAA Division I, 12-member conference that sponsors 23 championships and is one of ten members of the Football Bowl Subdivison (FBS). With total enrollment of nearly 300,000 students, the league represents institutions of higher learning in five (5) states - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and Ohio.
Current full member institutions and the year they joined are -- East Division: University of Akron (1992), Bowling Green State University (1952), University at Buffalo (1998), Kent State University (1951), Miami University (1947), Ohio University (1946). West Division: Ball State University (1973), Central Michigan University (1971), Eastern Michigan University (1971), Northern Illinois University (1975-86, rejoined in 1997), University of Toledo (1950), Western Michigan University (1947). The conference office is based in Cleveland, Ohio.
About Greater Cleveland Sports Commission
Since 2000, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC) is responsible for attracting more than 190 sporting events which provide nearly $570 million in economic activity to Northeast Ohio. GCSC supports the local economy, utilizes sports as a vehicle to forward community agendas and maintains a goal of producing events that are more successful when held in Cleveland than in other cities. For more information, visit
clevelandsports.org.
Quicken Loans Arena
Quicken Loans Arena—also known as “The Q”—is northeast Ohio’s premier sports and entertainment facility and major attraction for top tier concert tours and family shows, as well as home to the 2016 NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers, 2016 Calder Cup Champion Cleveland Monsters, AFL Cleveland Gladiators and the annual MAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament. Each year, The Q hosts more than 200 diverse ticketed events that draw over 2 million patrons to downtown Cleveland. Quicken Loans Arena is established as a successful host site for high profile events of international and national scope, including the 2016 Republican National Convention, the 2015, 2016, 2017 NBA Finals and the upcoming NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships during the spring of 2018. In Pollstar magazine’s 2017 Year-End Report of Top 200 Arena Venues Worldwide for Entertainment Ticket Sales, The Q ranked No. 18 in the United States and No. 40 worldwide in ticket sales for top touring attractions. Visit TheQArena.com.
