This is a reprint of an article by Teresa Mariani of the SLO Tribune newspaper:
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| Some Coaches Take Games Too Seriously |
Economic Impact of Hosting ASA Tournaments
by Brian McCall
Have you thought about trying to bring a tournament to your city, but needed more information to convince your city leaders? The following article is designed to show how beneficial it is to host an ASA tournament, and why more and more communities are inquiring about bringing tournaments to their town. The ultimate question will be, "What is the economic impact to our city?" Economic impact is defined as the monetary benefit a community receives for hosting an event. Each dollar spent by an individual attending the event -whether a participant, family member or spectator -for housing, food, equipment, clothing, gas, entertainment, souvenirs, etc. is compiled into the total conomic
impact scenario.
The Amateur Softball Association has conducted previous studies using predetermined data on national spending patterns that indicate the following breakdown for every dollar spent by a visiting individual:
Lodging
Restaurants
Vehicle operations
Souvenir/Gifts
Other
Entertainment |
33%
25%
21%
10%
6%
5% |
Each community utilizes a different formula to determine the per day expenditure of an
individual and the dollar turnover rate. The dollar turnover rate is the number of times each dollar will be spent before that particular dollar leaves the community. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce uses a turnover of seven times the national figure.
A study conducted by the ASA of the 2000 ASA National Championship Finals used modest estimates for hotel rates, expenditures (food, gas, souvenirs, etc.) and dollar turnover rate.
To look at the 2000 national championships, we broke the tournaments into separate divisions of play - men's slow pitch, women's fast pitch, girls' fast pitch, boys' slow pitch, etc. - and took an average of all the teams that competed in that division of play. To calculate the number of players, take the number of teams and then multiply that number by 15. (Note: Only players were used for the calculations. Almost all teams that compete at the national level bring family members and/or friends with them.)
Hotel cost is estimated at $50 per night with a two-night stay, with two people per room. Expenditures are figured at $35 per person, per day, for two days. (Note: Most national tournaments run for more than two days.)
To figure the dollar turnover rate you multiply the hotel and the expenditures by a modest 3.5 and this will be the economic impact.
|
Division |
Avg. # Teams |
Hotels |
Food/Gas/Etc. |
Economic Impact |
Men's Slow Pitch
Women's Slow Pitch
Coed Slow Pitch
Men's Fast Pitch
Women's Fast Pitch
Men's Modified Pitch
Women's Modified
|
59 teams
34 teams
28 teams
44 teams
21 teams
31 teams
15 teams
|
$33,750
$25,500
$21,000
$33,000
$15,750
$23,250
$11,250 |
$47,250
$35,700
$29,400
$46,200
$22,050
$32,550
$15,750 |
$283,500
$214,200
$176,400
$277,200
$132,300
$195,300
$94,500 |
In the Junior Olympic National Championships the number of players were calculated the same way as the adults. For hotel, we estimate two rooms at $50 per night for
two nights (one room for the player and one room for the parents), and the expenditures are figured at $75 per day for two days.
|
Division |
Avg. # Teams |
Hotels |
Food/Gas/Etc. |
Economic Impact |
Girls Slow Pitch
Boys Slow Pitch
Girls Fast Pitch
Boys Fast Pitch |
30 teams
8 teams
75 teams
8 teams |
$45,000
$12,000
$112,500
$12,000 |
$67,500
$18,000
$168,750
$18,000 |
$393,750
$105,000
$984,375
$105,000 |
After combining the totals of all the ASA National Championships we found the numbers to be staggering. With 2256 teams competing in the 2000 ASA National
Championship Finals, an estimated $3,384,000 was spent on hotels, $5,076,000 was spent on food, gas, etc. and there was an economic impact of $29,610,000.
Each year, the Amateur Softball Association is noticing an increasing number of cities that are interested in bringing an ASA national tournament to their community, and after reviewing these numbers we can see why.
Economic Impact of Hosting ASA Tournaments
The following is a listing of some of the ASA's top national championships and the economic impact they made in the host communities.
|
Division |
# of Teams |
Hotels |
Food/Gas/Etc. |
Economic Impact |
Men's B Slow Pitch
Men's C Slow Pitch
Men's D Slow Pitch
Women's C Slow Pitch
Women's D Slow Pitch
Men's B Fast Pitch
Men's C Fast Pitch
Men's A Modified Pitch |
83 teams
100 teams
97 teams
50 teams
49 teams
67 teams
77 teams
33 teams
|
$62,250
$75,000
$72,750
$37,500
$36,750
$50,250
$57,750
$39,750 |
$87,150
$105,000
$101,850
$52,500
$51,450
$70,350
$80,850
$55,650 |
$522,900
$630,000
$611,100
$315,000
$308,700
$422,100
$485,100
$333,900 |
As you will see, the Junior Olympic numbers are considerably higher than adult numbers. That is due to the formula used to find the hotel cost. We estimate two rooms at $50 per night for two nights (one room for the player and one room for the parents). The expenditures are figured at $75 per day for two days.
|
Division |
# of Teams |
Hotels |
Food/Gas/Etc. |
Economic Impact |
Girls' 18-U Gold FP
Girls' 18-U A Fast Pitch
Girls' 16-U A Fast Pitch
Girls' 16-U B West
Girls' 14-U A Fast Pitch
Girls' 14-U B Fast Pitch
Girls' 12-U A Fast Pitch
Girls' 12-U B West
Girls' 10-U A Fast Pitch
Girls' 10-U B Fast Pitch |
68 teams
84 teams
86 teams
46 teams
89 teams
50 teams
76 teams
50 teams
50 teams
38 teams |
$102,000
$126,000
$129,000
$69,000
$133,500
$75,000
$114,000
$75,000
$75,000
$75,000 |
$153,000
$189,000
$193,500
$103,500
$200,250
$112,500
$171,000
$112,500
$112,500
$85,500 |
$892,500
$1,102,500
$1,128,750
$603,750
$1,168,125
$656,250
$997,500
$656,250
$656,250
$498,750 |
If you would be interested in hosting an ASA tournament, or would like more information on how to bid for one of the ASA National Championships, please contact your local state/metro commissioner.
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