Volunteer
Community Initiatives
2019 NCAA Women's Final Four
Tampa Bay Community Initiatives
Press Pass is a media training program facilitated by the Tampa Bay Sports Commission (TBSC), in collaboration with the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, for young girls in sixth through twelfth grade interested in working in the sports media industry.
This program equips young students with valuable real-world experience by providing exclusive access to the 2019 NCAA Women’s Final Four, including a
behind the scenes view of the championship tournament and related events.
The program takes place over a 20-week period, culminating with the 2019 NCAA Women’s Final Four Junior Journalism Workshop on Saturday, April 6. Workshop participants will be credentialed, observe Women’s Final Four news conferences and tour of a variety of areas including the ESPN production trucks.
Now celebrating its 10th year, the Beyond Series is a legacy program started by the Tampa Bay Sports Commission and hosted in conjunction with major sporting events in Tampa Bay.
The initiative is focused on gathering and empowering local women of influence and as a result, over 800 local women have participated in the Beyond Initiative over the past 10 years.
Since its inception at the 2008 NCAA Women’s Final Four, the legacy program has grown exponentially and become a staple at each of the major events hosted in Tampa Bay.
Beyond the Baseline will again be a major component of Tampa Bay's third NCAA Women's Final Four which is set to be hosted April 5 & 7, 2019 at Amalie Arena.
Designed to leave a lasting impact and legacy on the students of Tampa Bay, the NCAA and Tampa Bay Sports Commission have partnered with Hillsborough County Schools to engage, inspire and incentivize elementary students' love of reading.
Read to the Final Four will challenge local elementary students of all ages in a series of two-week challenges that culminate in a month-long March Madness Challenge for third graders.
The competition conculdes in April during the Women's Final Four and the top "Final Four" schools from Hillsborough County will win a field trip to Tourney Town where they will be recognized in a special award ceremony.
As the third-time host community of the Women’s Final Four, Tampa Bay plans to elevate its sustainability commitments surrounding the impact of this major sporting event by pursuing Council for Responsible Sport certification which will provide third-party verification for the efforts of the organizations involved.
Composed of the top local experts within the field, the sub-committee on sustainability for the Tampa Bay Local Organizing Committee is charged with ensuring the 2019 NCAA Women’s Final Four is hosted in a manner that aligns with the values and responsibilities of the host city and its constituents to be accountable for the impacts of the event on surrounding communities, whether social, environmental, or economic, or a combination of the three.