LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships start this week in Louisville, and are expected to bring millions of dollars to the city.

The Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center in Louisville's Russell neighborhood will host the best college track stars in the country from Thursday to Saturday.

This is the first time the University of Louisville has hosted the ACC Championships since joining the conference in 2015 and the first time the event has been held in Louisville.

"Now that I have home field advantage, I feel like I have an extra means in competing and defending my home and title," said UofL graduate student Sterling Warner-Savage. 

The event is set to draw in 1,000 athletes, more than 2,000 spectators and $2.2 million in revenue to Louisville's economy.

"These 14 teams that are gonna come in, they're gonna spend multiple nights here. It's teams, it's coaches, it's support staff, it's officials," said Greg Fante, Louisville Sports Commission CEO. "Then it's spectators that are gonna, you know, families that are gonna come watch their kids compete, stay in our local hotels, go to our attractions, eat at our restaurants and hopefully go home and say great things about the time they had while they were visiting our city." 

The ASUN Conference indoor track championships will also be held at the center in west Louisville for three consecutive years, 2025-2027. 

USA Track and Field is coming up in a few weeks, as well as the youth championships.

"It brings kids and other track runners here together, make them feel special and have a place to run, have meets."

Fante said now that these names are associated with the facility, we should expect to start seeing even more come to town.

"The facility is doing exactly what it was designed to do," he said. "It's bringing a lot of people to this spot in west Louisville to compete on this world-class facility."

While the facility is bringing people and money to the city, it's also something that means a lot to residents.

"This facility means a lot to the people, especially to the people who live around this area," said sprinter Jaylen Cole, a UofL freshman and Louisville native who graduated from Male High School.

The ACC championships are free to attend.

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