Youth events to bring 5,900 visitors to town this weekend

Springfield hotels and businesses may see an influx in activity this weekend as youth soccer and a high school business-leaders competition are collectively expected to draw 5,900 visitors to town.

On April 12-14, 4,400 students are expected to compete in Springfield in the Missouri Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda competition, and 1,500 youth soccer players and their families will be in town April 11-12 for the Missouri Youth Soccer Association’s 2015 President’s Cup, according to news releases from the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The CVB expects the FBLA-PBL event to fill 2,800 room nights. The two events are estimated to create a combined economic impact of $1.5 million.

FBLA
The 4,000 high school students are competing at the University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center for the chance to represent Missouri FBLA-PBL at the national business competition in Chicago this June.

“Not only does hosting this event bring in beneficial tourist dollars to our city, but it opens the opportunity up for these students to possibly become interested in Springfield being their college experience after high school graduation or maybe a future vacation with family and friends,” said Robert Henley, general manager at University Plaza, in a release.

Competition categories include accounting, marketing, management, finance and human resources.

“Missouri FBLA-PBL offers students opportunities they cannot find in a traditional classroom,” said Chris Dzurick of the Missouri FBLA and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in the release. “They are able to travel the country and network with not only their peers, but with business professionals from companies like Geico, Men’s Wearhouse, and KPMG.

“They can challenge themselves in real-life case studies and create a portfolio of work with our many projects.”

President’s Cup
The MYSA President’s Cup events determine the state’s regional qualifiers who will go on to compete in St Louis. Regional winners in the under 13 through under 17 groups, both boys and girls, will vie for the national title in Overland Park, Kan.

Games, which are free and open to the public, are scheduled 8 a.m.-8 p.m. April 11 and 8 a.m.-6 p.m. April 12.

Lance Kettering, executive director of the Springfield Sports Commission and sports sales manager for the CVB, said the event is one of three planned for the MYSA.

“We are proud to be the host city for the event as well as the 2016 MYSA Fall State Cup and the 2017 MYSA Summer State Cup,” Kettering said in a CVB release.

Jim McCarthy, president of MYSA, said the Queen City is a natural choice for soccer tournaments in the state.

“The President's Cup is rotated between the four soccer districts in the state as long as the area has enough quality fields,” McCarthy said in the release. “Lake Country Soccer [in Springfield] is one of the top soccer complexes in the state of Missouri with 18 fields.”

The MYSA is the state affiliate and member of the United States Soccer Federation and the United States Youth Soccer Association.[[In-content Ad]]