Sports events boost local lodging, attractions

by Dee Dee Nilsen

SBJ Intern

sbj@sbj.net

Thousands of people travel to Springfield each year for sporting events, boosting the economy in more ways than just ticket sales.

When 66 teams came to town for the Amateur Athletic Union 10 and Under Boys Basketball National Championship held July 10-17, they brought about 4,500 coaches, parents and spectators with them. The event lasted for eight days but games lasted only an hour and a half each day.

"The remainder of the day, they were out shopping and visiting attractions, and they have to stay in our hotels and eat in our restaurants," said Larry Krauck, sports manager for the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau. "You've got all these 10-year old kids; you have to find something for them to do all day."

Krauck said many visited places like the Wonders of Wildlife museum, Fantastic Caverns, the Discovery Center, Dickerson Park Zoo and even Branson attractions including Silver Dollar City and Celebration City.

"They were here enjoying everything our community has to offer," he said. "I even had one team say they were going to see Spider-man.' They take all that in."

CVB Executive Director Tracy Kimberlin said the average visitor to Springfield spends $75 to $100 a day on lodging, meals, gasoline, shopping and attractions.

Hotel rooms and restaurants across the city and surrounding areas were full for the AAU tournament.

"Depending on the size of the team and the spectators they brought with them, they occupied five to 15 rooms per team," Kimberlin said. "That's a lot of rooms."

Jodie Adams, assistant director of parks for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board, said in any given summer, the park board fills about 8,000 to 10,000 Springfield hotel rooms with guests in town for sports events. She said when some of the bigger events come to town, the number can reach between 18,000 to 20,000 rooms in the three-month period.

"It's a major impact," Adams said. "That's just between softball, tennis, golf and baseball."

The lodging expenses can add up, but with that comes the expense of meals.

"These people have to eat three meals a day when they're here," Kimberlin said. "The money they spend on food can approach what they spend on hotel rooms."

Other expenses

Adams said there are other expenses when a sporting event is held in Springfield. Purchasing signage for the event and hiring medical and athletic training services are among them.

Other expenses include transportation for visitors, hiring extra staff to host the event and purchasing merchandise to sell at the event.

"It's really diverse what it supports," Adams said.

Another recent sporting event was the Missouri state soccer tournament for ages 10 to 17. The tournament brought 247 teams that stayed for a week, and Kimberlin estimated about 10,000 to 15,000 people came from around the state to attend the games.

Krauck said the teams also only played one game a day, leaving plenty of time to take in Springfield attractions.

Sportstown USA

In 2003, Springfield-Greene County was named Missouri's Sportstown USA by Sports Illustrated and the National Recreation and Parks Association. The title was given to one city in each of the 50 states for the 50th anniversary of the publication.

"We were selected as a primary city in the country you would want to come to, to participate in sports," Adams said. "It says that we have a level of excellence when it comes to hosting events and promoting sportsmanship."

Adams said the recognition helps put Springfield on the map as a sports city, and as a good place to live.

"It encourages families to not just visit Springfield, but who knows who will end up moving here after visiting our city," she said.

Springfield has become a place popular for hosting large scale sports events.

"Springfield has matured to the point that we have a lot to offer people, so that people want to come here because there's so much to do when they're not participating (in an event)," she said.

Upcoming sporting events in Springfield include the Amateur Softball Association National 16 and Under Softball Championships Aug. 3-8. Adams said the tournament will bring at least 1,000 kids along with their families and friends. Lakes Country Soccer will also host a weekend soccer tournament in October that Krauck said usually brings 100 to 140 teams to the city.