UTRGV football brings million-dollar economic boost to Edinburg

EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The countdown is on for the UTRGV Vaqueros’ first football game on Saturday. Aside from the excitement on the field, the game is expected to bring an economic boom to the Edinburg area, with local businesses already preparing for the rush.

“There’s this buzz that we haven’t seen since the first SpaceX launch in the Valley,” said Hiren Govind, Chief Operating Officer of Quebec Hotel Group.

Hotels are not the only business getting ready for the rush as local establishments are also preparing.

“I think we are going to get packed. We already have people calling on the phone and asking if we are showing the game,” added Shelby Cusic, Walk-On's Marketing Manager

A study conducted by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley predicts that each home game could generate around $1 million in revenue for the city of Edinburg. From hotels to restaurants, businesses are bracing for the wave of visitors this weekend and every home game.

“I think we only have three rooms left on game day,” said Govind.

Govind says his hotel is nearly sold out, and bookings for this weekend came in faster than for any other sporting event in the past.

He also shared that the hotel group has invested $1 million in upgrades to prepare for Vaquero fans and visitors to the new, multi-million-dollar stadium. He expects each hotel to bring in $10,000 to $12,000 in revenue per game.

Just across the street from the hotel, restaurants like Walk-On’s are also gearing up.

“Over the summer, we hired 37 new employees between front of house and back of house just getting ready for this football season and the rest of the year,” said Cusic.

Walk-On’s already has game day specials and reservations ready for both pre- and post-game crowds. They’re also expecting a rise in catering orders.

Raudel Garza, executive director of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, highlighted the broader impact, noting that a study by UTRGV shows the team can generate over $200 million in total output for the city and area.

“Their study basically says that it's almost about a million dollars in additional spending per game that we should be expecting in Edinburg,” said Garza. “So if you look at the seven home games this season, that $7 million in additional impact is about two national restaurants opening up in the city.”

The city is already seeing interest from new restaurants and hotels looking to open in the area, driven by the expected economic upswing.

One potential downside? Traffic. With an estimated 12,000 to 20,000 people attending each game, the city is preparing for increased congestion. However, business leaders like Govind remain optimistic:

“I’m very excited. We bought into UTRGV from day one. I saw the vision, I saw the future, and I knew we needed to be a part of it,” he said.

The first game of the season is on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium.

Join ValleyCentral live from the stadium parking lot for our pre-game show, Tailgate Fiesta, airing from 6 to 7 p.m. on Channel 4.1 and ValleyCentral+