One hundred two soccer teams competing in a weekend local tournament sounds like an opportunity of “fun times” for the athletes and their families.  Without doubt, it is fun for them but remains “serious business” for the local economy. 

This weekend, the New River Soccer Association (NRUSA) will play host to soccer teams with competitors ranging from ages of under eight to eighteen.  The field has teams from the New River Valley and throughout Virginia, West Virginia, and other states.  The FNB/Stellar One Virginia Tech Summer Kickoff Tournament will begin this Saturday morning and continues through Sunday, bringing out the best in competition as well as an economic boom for the New River Valley.

Last year’s tournament brought in fifty three teams and produced a weekend of financial gain for local hotels, restaurants, and other businesses throughout the Valley.  According to estimated figures produced by reports from the individual teams, the conservative weekend total for the hospitality and food industries were over  $76,000.  Using a formula of $75.00 per night of lodging and $7.00 per meal, that equates to  $40,600 in hotel revenue and $35,742 in dining revenue.

The games are held on the Virginia Tech campus which is normally reserved for campus and recreational activities only.  This is the one event all year where the facilities become available for an outside event.  According to Tech Recreational Sports Director Chris Wise, they view this as an opportunity to be a part of this as a “community service project.”  The Recreational Department at the University offers the local association a reduced fee that will pay for the maintenance of the fields as well as the labor for the weekend.  The scheduling of the tournament is the most feasible time to use the facility and does not conflict with university activities or holiday travel (Memorial Day).  Cary Hoge, Director of Sales for the Hampton Inn in Christiansburg, echoes those statements.  She states that this weekend her hotel is sold out on Saturday, which precedes the traditional Memorial Day rush and the annual wedding blitzes that occur during the summer.  The local hotel is sold out on Saturday and has increased occupancy in her one hundred nineteen room facility on Friday, both of which can be attributed in majority to the local tournament.  She concluded “It brings in tax revenue and produces a good return on the investment for the community.”

Portions of the tournament will be broadcast live online on www.nrvsports.com with Saturday games at 11:30am, 2:30pm and 5:45pm being planned for live audio streaming.  Additionally, the local sports site will update results on Sunday and Monday morning. 

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Name

Email

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (Registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Add Comment