SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Hoopfest will be offering teams full refunds of their registration fees or the option to donate the money to help the non-profit.
When Hoopfest announced the difficult decision to cancel the event for the second year in a row, event organizers initially said they would only offer a partial refund to teams. Teams were offered a 20% refund.
Hoopfest was scheduled for Sept. 11-12, 2021. The event typically brings in around 24,000 players from across the United States and globe every year. Forty-five city blocks of Spokane are shut down during the tournament to create 422 courts.
In August, Hoopfest Executive Director Matt Santangelo said canceling the event for the second year in a row put the small business on shaky ground.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Hoopfest announced they would be able to offer teams a full refund due to help from partners and the number of teams that had already offered to donate their fees.
"We are so incredibly grateful for what Hoopfest means to this community and our basketball family," the post said.
Hoopfest said that those teams who donated their fund are helping to keep the beloved event alive for another year.
Regardless of refund request, all players will receive Hoopfest 2021 Official Player Shirts. Team captains will also receive a Hoopfest basketball. Hoopfest will also look for other opportunities to celebrate the spirit of the event in the fall and winter of 2021.