economic impact analysis for maryland soccerplex

ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS For Maryland SoccerPlex 1

ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS

For Maryland SoccerPlexSummary of The Economic Impact on Montgomery County

ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS For Maryland SoccerPlex2

Prepared by Lisa Delpy Neirotti , Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Sports Management and Tourism School of BusinessThe George Washington University | Funger Hall, 2201 G Street, NW #301, Washington, DC 20052tel. 202/994-6623 | fax 202/994-1630 | e-mail [email protected]

May 2013

Project Partners:

ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS For Maryland SoccerPlex

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Executive Summary

nTheMarylandSoccerPlexisastate-of-the-artmulti-sportathleticfacilityinGermantown,Marylandin Montgomery County. The SoccerPlex opened in 2000, and was developed through a public-private partnershipbetweentheMarylandSoccerFoundation,theowner/operatorofthefacilityandtheMaryland National-CapitalParkandPlanningCommission.

nTheSoccerPlexoperatesyear-roundandhostslocalclubandleagueplayaswellasregional,nationaland internationalsportseventsinsoccer,lacrosse,fieldhockey,rugby,basketballandvolleyball.

nThe SoccerPlex also hosts collegiate and professional level soccer events.

nSimilartootherbusinessesinMontgomeryCounty,theMarylandSoccerPlexgeneratessignificant economic impact while improving residents’ quality of life. A study was commissioned in 2012 to measuretheeconomicactivityassociatedwiththeSoccerPlex,specificallythe12majortournaments held annually.

n Surveys were conducted at three tournaments held at the Maryland SoccerPlex between July and December,2012.Objectivesweretoestimatetheannualeconomiccontributionofvisitorsatall12 majortournamentsheldattheMarylandSoccerPlextodeterminethecharacteristicsofvisitors. Onlythosevisitorswhotraveled50ormoremilestoattendthetournamentwereincludedinthestudy.

n Itisimportanttonotethatthemajortournamentsstudiedoccurannuallyandarenotone-offevents. Also,thefiguresreporteddonotincludethethousandsoflocalresidentswhotravelcrosscountyor crossstatelinestoparticipateinsmallersoccer,basketball,volleyballandcommunityeventsheldat the Maryland SoccerPlex as well as special events such as the ACC Men’s Soccer Championships, Women’s Professional Soccer, Armenian Olympics, and Maacabi Games, among others.

ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS For Maryland SoccerPlex

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n The tournament visitors spent close to $13.9 million dollars while in the Montgomery County area on food, lodging,entertainment,localtransportationandretailpurchases.Tournamentorganizersspent another$1,476,372inthearea.Whenconsideringthemultipliereffect,thetotalgrosseconomic impactofthe12tournamentsaloneis$20,396,736.Addinginthefacility’sannualoperatingexpenses of $4.5 million, the overall impact is $24,896,736.

nBasedonthisstudy,the12majortournamentshostedattheMarylandSoccerPlexcontributeclose to $25 million dollars annually to the local economy, which does not include the spending associated with the hundreds of other events held at the Complex.

n These visitor expenditures generated close to $1.18 million in tax revenue for the area’s state and local governments.

nBasedonthenumberofout-of-townparticipants,asprovidedbytournamentorganizers,andthe reportedaveragepartysize,itisestimatedthat51,596peopletraveledtotheMontgomeryCounty areatowatchorparticipateinthe12majortournamentsheldattheMarylandSoccerPlexin2012. Notallofthesevisitorsspentmoneywhichtheeconomicimpactformulatakesintoaccountwhen estimatingthedirectimpact(SeeMethodology).

n 78.6% of visitors spent one or more nights in Montgomery County, with 91.8% of these staying in hotels or motels.

nAlthoughthisresearchexclusivelystudiedtheimpactofthe12majorsoccerandlacrossetournaments heldattheMarylandSoccerPlex,theeconomicactivitystimulatedbyothersportseventsincluding iceskating,icehockey,swimming,basketballandsoftballheldatotherMontgomeryCounty facilitiesshouldberecognizedascontributingapositiveeconomicimpact.

nSupportfromtheCountytogenerateadditionaleconomicactivitythroughsportscanberealized notonlyinbuildingphysicalinfrastructurebutthroughmarketingcollaborationandconsiderationof accesstopublicfacilitiesforregionalandnationalsportingevents.


Table of Contents

Page

Introduction ……………………………………………… 6

ProblemDefinition ……………………………………… 8

Findings ……………………………………………………… 9

ConclusionsandRecommendations ………… 16

Appendix:DataCollectionInstruments …… 20


Introducti on

TheMarylandSoccerPlex,anonprofitsportscomplexheadquarteredinGermantown,Maryland,engagedLisaDelpyNeirotti,ProfessorofSportsManagementandTourismStudiesatTheGeorgeWashingtonUniversitytoconductastudyofvisitorswhotraveledto12majortournamentsheldattheSoccerPlexinordertoprovidethe following:

A. demographicprofileofvisitorswhoattendthetournaments(age,gender,income,education) B. consumerprofileofvisitors(numberofnightsspentinthearea,typeofaccommodations) C. expenditureprofileofvisitors(amountspentonaccommodations,food,merchandise) D. estimatedeconomicimpactoftheMarylandSoccerPlexonMontgomeryCounty

This report presents the results of these surveys and its methodology.

Defi niti ons

Thefollowingtermsasdefinedareusedthroughoutthisreport:

Three tournaments –ClubNationalChampionshipGirlsLacrosseTournamentheldJuly12-15,2012;theDiscoveryCupheldOctober5-8,2012;andtheBethesdaBoysThanksgivingTournamentheldNovember 16-18, 2012.

Tournament visitors–athletesandtheirtravelparty(familyandfriends)whotravel50+milestoattendthetournament.

Tournament visitors tax revenue–stateorlocaltaxrevenuedirectlygeneratedbythevisitorexpenditures;includesgeneral retail sales taxes, gasoline excise taxes, hotel lodging sales taxes, restaurant meal sales taxes, amusement taxes and retail grocery sales taxes.

Economic contributi on of the major tournaments – tournament visitor expenditures and the state and local tax revenue they generated as well as tournament-related expenses paid for in Montgomery County.


Brief Methodology

Data for this study was collected from spectators at three tournaments held at the Maryland SoccerPlex using a random intercept approach. The surveys were collected by graduate students from The George Washington Universitywhowerestationedthroughoutthethreetournaments.Eachspectatorapproachedwasaskediftheytraveled50milesormoretoattendthetournamentandwastoldthattheywouldreceiveagiftasanincentiveforcompletingthesurvey.ThegiftwasaMontgomeryCountytotebag.Mostspectatorswereparentsorguardiansoftournamentplayers.Atotalof1,105usablesurveyswerecollectedfromthethreedifferenttournaments.

ThedatawasenteredintoadatabaseandanalyzedusingSPSS,astatisticalsoftwarepackage.Spendingdatawas then entered into an excel formula sheet that considered the number of people who responded to each spendingcategory(e.g.ifonly50%ofthosesurveyedprovidedfinancialdataonaccommodations,theaveragespentonaccommodationswasonlyappliedto50%ofthevisitors).Taxrateswerediscountedtoaccountforvisitorswhomayhaveincludedtaxinthespendingfiguresprovidedrenderinganissueofdoublecounting.

ThefinaleconomicfigurespertournamentwerethenextrapolatedtonineothermajortournamentsheldattheSoccerPlextoestimateatotalannualimpact.Morespecifically,theaveragespendingattheClubNationalChampionshipGirlsLacrosseTournamentwasappliedtothethreeotherlacrossetournaments.Theaverage spending at the Discovery Cup was applied to the other girls soccer tournament and the Bethesda Boys ThanksgivingTournamentaverageswereappliedtotheotherboyssoccertournament.Forthefourcoedsoccertournaments,theaveragespendingattheDiscoveryCupandtheBethesdaBoysThanksgivingTournamentwereaveragedandthisfigureapplied.

Toestimatethetotalnumberofout-of-townvisitorsforthe12majortournaments,theresearchertookthenumberofvisitingathletesandmultipliedthisbythepartysizeforeachtournamentfromwhichdatawascollected.Thesefigureswerethenextrapolatedtotheotherninetournamentsinthesamemannerasdescribedaboveforspending.Consideringthatnotallthevisitingathletescompetinginthetournamentswereaccompaniedbyfamilyandfriends,thetotalnumberwasconservativelyadjustedtoreflectonly60%ofvisitingathleteswhotraveledwithfamilyorfriends.Theactualrangeofvisitorsfallsbetween60%(51,000)and100%(85,994).

Furthermore, phone interviews were conducted with 20 managers of local businesses including hotels, retailers and restaurants, to understand the perceived value of the Maryland SoccerPlex on business sales during the tournament periods.


Acknowledgements

TheresearchteamthanksTrishHeffelfinger,ExecutiveDirectoroftheMarylandSoccerFoundationandKellyGroff,PresidentandCEOoftheConferenceandVisitorsBureau(CVB)ofMontgomeryCounty,Marylandforrequestingourproposalandforsecuringitsapproval.Ms.Heffelfingeralsoprovidedinformationandmaterialsessentialtothesuccessfulcompletionofthisstudy.

TheresearchteamalsoexpressesitsgratitudetotheGeorgeWashingtonUniversitystudentswhocarefullyinterviewedvisitors,recordedresponsesontheinterviewforms,andthenkeyedintheresultsinan SPSS database program.

Limitations

Sincetheresultsofthisstudyweregatheredthroughprobabilitysampling,theyaresubjecttosampling error.

Limitedresourcesonlyalloweddatacollectionatthreetournaments.Itispossiblethatalargernumberofcompletedinterviewsatmoretournamentscouldhaveproducedestimatesdifferentfromtheonespresented here.

Problem Definition The Maryland SoccerPlex is responsible for holding more than 6,000 youth soccer matches annually, andtogetherwiththeConferenceandVisitorsBureau(CVB)ofMontgomeryCounty,Maryland,soughtobjectiveinformationaboutitseconomicimpactandthenumberandcharacteristicsofvisitors.

Incollaboration,theMarylandSoccerPlex,theMontgomeryCountyCVB,andGeorgeWashingtonUniversityagreed to collect the following data points from out-of-town visitors:

nVisitorpartysize n Reason for being in the area n Expendituresforfivecategoriesofpurchases n Length of stay n Type of lodging n Locationoflodging n Demographic/socio-economiccharacteristics:homezipcode,gender,levelofeducation, household income and racial category. n Transportationusedtoarriveatsite


Findings Tournament Visitors

Basedonthedata,andassumingthatonly60%ofvisitingathletestraveledwithfamily,51,596peoplevisited Montgomery County for the 12 tournaments held at the SoccerPlex.

Table 3.1: Provides, by tournament, the number of athletes (traveling from out-of-town) and the average size of the athlete’s party to estimate the total out-of-town visitors.


Tournaments (A) (B) (A) × (B)Number of

Out-of-Town Athletes

Average Visitor Party Size

Total Number of Out-of-Town

Visitors

ClubNationalChampionshipGirls LacrosseTournament(CNC) 2,574 3.12 8,031

LAX Girls 2 - Use CNC data 2,574 3.12 8,031

LAX Boys 1 - Use CNC data 2,574 3.12 8,031


Discovery Cup - Soccer 1 1,425 3.2 4,560

Soccer Girls 2 - Use figures from Discovery Cup 1,425 3.2 4,560

BethesdaBoysThanksgiving Tournament Boys 1 2,969 3.0 8,907

Soccer Boys 2 - Use Bethesda Boys Thanksgiving Tournament

2,969 3.0 8,907

Soccer Coed 1 - Use average from Discovery Cup & Bethesda Boys Thanksgiving Tournament

2,197 3.065 6,734


2,197 3.065 6,734


2,197 3.065 6,734


2,197 3.065 6,734

TOTAL 85,994

Estimated Multiplier 60%Total Number of Out-of-Town Visitors 51,596

Table 3.1: Volume of athletes, party-size, and total visitors

Sources: Maryland SoccerPlex Survey, George Washington University


Tournaments (A) (B) (A) × (B)Number of

Out-of-Town Athletes

Average Visitor Party Size

Total Number of Out-of-Town

Visitors

ClubNationalChampionshipGirls LacrosseTournament(CNC) 2,574 3.12 8,031

LAX Girls 2 - Use CNC data 2,574 3.12 8,031



Discovery Cup - Soccer 1 1,425 3.2 4,560

Soccer Girls 2 - Use figures from Discovery Cup 1,425 3.2 4,560

BethesdaBoysThanksgiving Tournament Boys 1 2,969 3.0 8,907

Soccer Boys 2 - Use Bethesda Boys Thanksgiving Tournament

2,969 3.0 8,907


2,197 3.065 6,734


2,197 3.065 6,734


2,197 3.065 6,734


2,197 3.065 6,734

TOTAL 85,994

Estimated Multiplier 60%Total Number of Out-of-Town Visitors 51,596

Visitor Economic Contribution

Collectively,tournamentvisitorsfromoutoftownandtheirpartiesspentnearly$13.9millionwhileinMontgomery County, as detailed in Table 3.2.

Thisincrementaleconomicstimulussupportedjobsandgeneratedtaxrevenueforstateandlocaljurisdictions.The study found that in the process of purchasing lodging, meals and retail goods, tournament visitors generated nearly $1.18 million in tax revenue for the state of Maryland and Montgomery County.

Table 3.2: Maryland SoccerPlex Visitor Economic Contribution to the Montgomery County Area

*Includes tournament–related merchandise, grocery and misc. retail purchasesSources: Maryland SoccerPlex Survey, George Washington University

Visitor Characteristics and Expenditures

Thissectionreportsonthecharacteristicsandexpendituresoftournamentvisitors.

Table 3.3showsthedistributionofvisitorpartiesbylengthofstay.Nearly80%oftournamentvisitorsspent oneormorenightsintheMontgomeryCountyarea,whilealmosttwo-thirds(2/3)spenttwoorthreenightsin the area. The average length of stay for all tournament visitors was two nights.

Table 3.3: Length of Stay of Tournament Spectator Parties


Expenditure Category Expenditures Tax Revenue Generated

Lodging $5,411,588 $702,942Restaurant food & beverages $4,201,434 $237,142General retail purchases* $2,188,587 $123,338Entertainment & amusement $496,290 $28,105Gasoline&localtransportation $1,561,621 $88,057

Total visitor expenditures $13,859,520 $1,179,584

Length of Stay Percent of All Tournament Visitor Parties

0 nights 21.4%1 night 13.9%2 nights 52.4%3 nights or more 12.3%Total 100.0%


Lodging While in the Area Eightypercentofthetournamentvisitorsstayedovernight.Table3.4showsthedistributionofthetypeoflodging these overnight visitors used. More than 90% of spectators who stayed one night spent the night in a hotel,whilelessthan10percentstayedinaprivatehomewithfriendsandrelatives.

Table 3.4: Distribution of Overnight Spectators by Type of Lodging


ThethreemostcommonlyidentifiedhotelsincludeHolidayInnGaithersburg(16%),MarriottCourtyardGaithersburg(14%),andtheGaithersburgWashingtonianMarriott(7%).Hiltonhotelswerementionedmostfrequently under the “other” category.

Visitor Characteristics

AsopposedtothenearlyequalgendersplitoftheU.S.population,tournamentspectatorsweremorelikelytobefemalesthantheaverageU.S.adult,asshowninTable3.5.

Table 3.5: Gender of Visitors Compared to Overall U.S. Population

Sources: Maryland SoccerPlex Survey, George Washington University, U.S. Bureau of the Census

Type of Lodging Percent of Tournament Visitor Parties

Hotel 91.8%Stayingwithfriendsorrelatives 8.0%Second home/Time share 0.2%

Total 100.0%

Gender Tournament Visitors Overall U.S.

Female 69.3% 51.5%Male 30.7% 48.5%Total 100.0% 100.0%


Table 3.6 indicatesthattournamentvisitorsattainedahigherlevelofeducationthantheoverallU.S.populationaged25andover.Eighty-threepercentofthesevisitorshadearnedabachelor’sdegreeorhigher,aboutthreetimestheproportionoftheU.S.population. Table 3.6: Education of Visitors Compared to Overall U.S. Population


AsTable3.7indicates,tournamentvisitorsaremuchmorelikelytobeWhiteandmuchlesslikelytobeBlack/African-AmericanthantheoverallU.S.adultpopulation.

Table 3.7: Race of Tournament Visitors Compared to Overall U.S. Population

Highest Education Level Attained Tournament Visitors Overall U.S.

Did not complete high school 1.0% 12.9%High school graduate 5.3% 31.2%College associates degree 11.0% 25.9%Bachelor’s degree 49.0% 19.5%Graduate/postgraduate degree 33.7% 10.5%Total 100.0% 100.0%

Race Tournament Visitors Overall U.S.

White 89.6% 79.8%Black/African-American 2.7% 12.0%Asian/PacificIslander 1.9% 4.7%Other 5.8% 3.5%Total 100.0% 100.0%


TournamentvisitorsaremuchmoreaffluentthantheoverallU.S.population,asindicatedinTable3.8.Thesevisitorsarealmostfourtimesaslikelytohavehouseholdincomesof$100,000ormorethantheaveragehouseholdin the country.

Table 3.8: Household Income of Visitors Compared to Overall U.S. Population


TournamentvisitorswerealsoaskedtoindicatethetypeoftransportationtheyusedtoarriveattheMaryland SoccerPlex. Table 3.9 indicates that the personal motor vehicle was most used.

Table 3.9: Distribution of Visitors by Type of Transportation Used to Arrive to Area


Mode of Transportation Percent of Spectator Visitor Parties

Private Car 94.1%Rental Car 2.3%Plane 1.6%Amtrak 0.5%Bus 0.9%Other 0.6%Total 100.0%

Household Income Tournament Visitors Overall U.S.

Under $25,000 1.0% 25.0%$25,000 to $49,999 4.3% 25.2%$50,000 to $99,999 17.6% 29.6%$100,000 and over 77.1% 20.2%Total 100.0% 100.0%


Household Income Tournament Visitors Overall U.S.

Under $25,000 1.0% 25.0%$25,000 to $49,999 4.3% 25.2%$50,000 to $99,999 17.6% 29.6%$100,000 and over 77.1% 20.2%Total 100.0% 100.0%

Tournament Marketing and Management

Whenaskedwhatfactormostinfluencedavisitor’sdecisiontoattendthetournament,themajorityofvisitors,48%,reportedthatthecompetitivelevelofplaywastheprimaryreasonthattheychosetoattendthetournament,followed by 40% of visitors who indicated that the coach’s decision was the most important factor. However, only7%reportedthatthetournamentorganizationitselfandthequalityofthefacilityhadamajorimpacton theirdecision-making.

ThefollowingchartshowsthatofthoseattendeeswhovisitedtheMarylandSoccerPlex,62%indicatedthattheyheard about thetournamentbecauseoftheirpreviousexperiences.Twentypercentselectedthe“other”option,butuponfurtherinspectionmostoftheseresponsesreferencedthe“coach”.Fourteenpercentofthevisitorsreportedthatthey found out about the tournament primarily through word-of-mouth, while the remaining 4% found out through advertisementsinasportspublication,oremailpromotion.

Compe��ve level of play

Quality of facility

Loca�on

Tournament Organiza�on

Referral

Coach decision

Other

3%

40%48%

2%1%

5%1%

Factors that most influenced decisions to a�end tournaments

Returning team (played intournament before)

Word of mouth

Adver�sement in sports publica�on

Email promo�on

Other

Source from which visitors heard about the tournament

62%

20%

14%

2%

2%20%

62%14%


Quality of facility

Loca�on


Referral

Coach decision

Other

3%

40%48%

2%1%

5%1%



Word of mouth


Email promo�on

Other


62%

20%

14%

2%

2%20%

62%14%


Quality of facility

Loca�on


Referral

Coach decision

Other

3%

40%48%

2%1%

5%1%



Word of mouth


Email promo�on

Other


62%

20%

14%

2%

2%20%

62%14%


Quality of facility

Loca�on


Referral

Coach decision

Other

3%

40%48%

2%1%

5%1%



Word of mouth


Email promo�on

Other


62%

20%

14%

2%

2%20%

62%14%


Other Survey Information: Asforrecommendationsonwaystoenhancethetournamentexperience,visitorssuggestedadditionaltrashcans, moreconcessionstands,additionalandcleanerrestroomfacilities,moreshelter,music,anareatogrill,betterreferees,andtomakethetournamenttwoversusthreedays.Alargenumberofvisitorscomplainedaboutthespeedcameras.Therewerealsocomplaintsfromvisitorswhostayedovernightthatthehotels’qualityanddistancetofieldsdidnotmeetexpectations.

ThemostcommonplaceswherevisitorsreporteddiningincludedPaneraBread,Chick-Fil-A,McDonalds,andChipotle.Morethan12%reportedspendingatasportinggoodsstoreinthearea.

Conclusions and Recommendations Demographic Profile of Spectators

Basedonthedatacollected,69.3%ofthespectatorswerefemale.Thirty-eightpercent(38%)ofthespectatorswerebetween45and54yearsoldand23%werebetween65and74yearsold.Seventy-sevenpercent(77%)ofspectatorsreportedanaveragehouseholdincomeover$100,000.Thisshowsthatthetournamentsattractalargeportionofolder,middle-classtoupper-classfamilies.Eighty-eightpercent(88%)reportedthattheyweremarried,while5%weresingle,never married.

Forty-ninepercent(49%)ofrespondentshadearnedaBachelor’sDegreewithnearly34%holdinggraduateorpostgraduatedegrees.ThevastmajorityofspectatorswereCaucasian89.6%,and2.7%wereAfrican-American.

Consumer Profile of Spectators Of themajorityofvisitorssurveyed,78.6%stayedoneormorenightsintheareafortheevent,withtheaverageoftwo nights per person. Of this group, 13.9% stayed one night, 52.4% stayed two nights, and 12.3% stayed three or more nights.Theaveragevisitorpartysizewas3.1.Ofthosethatspentthenight,91.8%ofthevisitorsstayedinhotelswhile8%stayedwithfamily,friendsorrelatives.

Just over 94% of spectators arrived to the Maryland SoccerPlex in personal cars while 2.3% used rental cars, and1.6%arrivedtotheareabycommercialairlineswiththebalancesplitamongAmtrak,busandothertypes oftransportation.


Expenditure Profile of Spectators

RespondentswereaskedtoestimatetheirdailyexpendituresduringtheirvisittoMontgomeryCounty. Theseaveragesarebasedonthosethatreportedspendingpercategorywhichisaccountedforinthefinaleconomicimpactfigure.Thebreakdownforeachtournamentisasfollows: Club National Championship Girls Lacrosse TournamentBased on a typical day during the visit, how much did you spend on:Food & Beverage $76.97Accommodations(includingonlythosewhopaidforaccommodations) $149.80Local Entertainment $42.94Car Rental $62.83Shopping in local retail stores $63.43Tournamentmerchandise(entirestay) $53.56Gasolineintheareapervisit(entirestay) $67.20

Discovery Cup TournamentBased on a typical day during the visit, how much did you spend on:Food & Beverage $77.39Accommodations(includingonlythosewhopaidforaccommodations) $147.07Local Entertainment $45.93Car Rental $90.00Shopping in local retail stores $62.82Tournamentmerchandise(entirestay) $48.35Gasolineinthearea(entirestay) $65.35

Bethesda Boys Thanksgiving TournamentBased on a typical day during the visit, how much did you spend on:Food & Beverage $85.18Accommodations(includingonlythosewhopaidforaccommodations) $143.51Local Entertainment $37.96Car Rental $73.11Shopping in local retail stores $71.25Tournamentmerchandise(entirestay) $77.81Gasolineinthearea(entirestay) $63.87


Direct Economic Impact of the Tournaments for Montgomery County

TakingintoaccountthattheMarylandSoccerPlexhosts12majortournamentsperyear,theestimatednumberof out-of-town visitors is 51,596, and the amount of direct economic impact from out-of-town visitor spending was $13,859,520.

ThedirectexpendituresthatwerespentwithinMontgomeryCountybythetournamentorganizerswas$1,476,372.Combiningthedirectvisitorspendingwiththedirectexpendituresoforganizers,thetotaldirecteconomicimpact for Montgomery County from the tournaments held at the Maryland SoccerPlex is therefore $15,335,892.

Indirect Economic Impact of the Tournaments for Montgomery County

Although this researcher advises not to calculate indirect impact due to the short term nature of the tournaments,tobeconsistentwithothereconomicimpactstudies,aconservativeaggregatedmultiplierof1.33was used for Montgomery County. Basically, for every new dollar introduced in the county by the tournaments, another 33 cents was re-spent by the dollar recipient.

Total Gross Impact

TheestimatedtotalgrossimpactofthetournamentsontheMontgomeryCountyregionaleconomyequalsthe direct impact plus indirect impact for a sum total of $20,396,736. This impact represents incremental spending above and beyond what would have been expected had the tournaments not been held in the area. Adding in the facility’sannualoperatingexpensesof$4.5million,theoverallimpactis$24,896,736.

Fiscal Impact of the Tournaments for Montgomery County and Maryland

The tournament-generated spending provided tax revenues for city and county governments mainly in the form of salestaxandTOT(TransientOccupancyTax)orbedtax.Thestudyestimatesthetotalfiscalimpacttobe$1,180,584.

Summary of Interview with Local Businesses

Whenmanagersofrestaurants,hotels,andretailersneartheMarylandSoccerPlexwereaskedabouttheimportance of the Maryland SoccerPlex to their business, 76% stated that the SoccerPlex was important or veryimportanttotheirbusiness.Furthermore,whenaskedwhethertherewasanincreaseinbusinessduringtournamentsattheMarylandSoccerPlex,83%respondedpositivelywithanaveragebusinessincreaseof33%.


Conclusion

TheMarylandSoccerPlexisnotonlyanimportantcommunityassetbutavaluabletourismattractionresultinginasignificanteconomicimpactforMontgomeryCounty.Theestimatesofdirectandindirectimpactarebasedoncarefullyselectedmethodology,surveyresults,andthedataprovidedbytournamentorganizers.Whilethestudyisnotfreefromlimitations,reasonableeffortsaremadetoprovidethebestquantitativeestimateoftheincreasedregionalspendingattributabletotheMarylandSoccerPlex.Itisrecommendedthatbi-annualresearchbeconductedduetothedifferencesintournamentdrawsandcontinuedcompetitioninthemarketplace.Itisalsorecommendedthatproactiveeffortscontinueinordertoincreasethenumberofout-of-townvisitors,thelengthofstay of visitors, as well as increase the amount they spend in the area.

Potential Economic Impact of the Tournaments

Asthenumberofathletesparticipatinginamateursportscontinuestogrow,theregioncouldsupportadditionalyouthtournaments.Furthermore,considerationshouldbetakentocreateorhostadultcompetitionsasmorecompetitiveleaguesatthesenior/mastersleveldevelop.


Appendix Followingisasampleoftheinterviewformusedtogatherinformationfromtournamentvisitors.

Maryland SoccerPlex Economic Impact Survey

TheGeorgeWashingtonUniversitySportsManagementProgramisconductingasurveyabouttheMarylandSoccerPlexanditseconomicimpactonthehostcommunity.Thankyouforyourassistanceinansweringthefollowingquestions.Foryourconvenience,thecompletedsurveycanbedroppedoffattheHeadquartersTentlocatedintheVendorVillage.Ifforsomereasonyoudonotcompletethesurveyduringtheevent,pleasereturnto:LisaDelpyNeirotti,TheGWU,2201GStreet,NW#301Washington,DC20052,fax202/994-1630, tel. 202/994-6623, e-mail [email protected]

Qualification: Did you travel 50 miles or more to attend this tournament? o Yes oNo (If NO, please return the survey)

1. Please list your PRIMARY RESIDENTIAL ZIP CODE __________________2. Is the tournament the primary reason you traveled to the area? o Yes (skip to Q.4) o No


3. If no, what is your primary reason for traveling to the Washington, DC area? o Business oVisitfriends/relatives oVacation oConvention oOther (specify) 4. How many people, including yourself, are in your immediate travel party? ________5. How many nights are you planning to stay in the area? _________6. What type of accommodations are you staying in while in the area? a. oHotel(pleasecheckthespecificproperty) oHoliday Inn Gaithersburg oWashingtonianMarriottGaithersburg oMarriottCourtyardGaithersburg oOther(specifyhotel) b. oStayingwithfriends/relatives c. o Second home/Time Share d. o Other 7. What type of transportation did you use to arrive to the area? o Private Car o Rental Car o Plane oAmtrak o Bus o Other (specify) 8. Based on a typical day during your visit, what are your daily individual expenditures on: a. Food and beverage $ b.Accommodations $ c. Local entertainment (e.g., movie theaters , tour bus, other sport events, theater, etc.) $ d. Car Rental $ e. Shopping in local area stores $ 9. What is your individual total expenditure on: a. Tournament merchandise $ b. Gasoline in the area $ 10. Did you visit a sporting goods store (e.g. Dicks, Modells) during your stay in the area? oYes o No If YES, how much did you spend at the sporting goods store? $ 11. What food establishment(s) did you frequent during your visit? (Select all that apply) o Green Turtle oChick-Fil-A o Chipotle o Panera Bread o Red Robin o Carrabbas o McDonalds o Other (specify names) o None, I did not eat out


12. What factor MOST influenced your decision to attend the Tournament? (Please select ONE only) oCompetitivelevelofplay o Quality of facility oLocation oTournamentorganization o Referral o Coach decision o Other (specify) 13. How did you hear about the Tournament? o Returning team oWord of mouth (played in tournament before) o Emailpromotion oAdvertisementinsportspublication oOther 14. Is there any recommendation(s) you can provide to enhance the tournament experience or your stay in the area? ____________________________________________________________________________

Demographics

15. Gender oMale o Female 16. Marital status: o Single, never married o Divorced, widowed o Married oOther 17. Age o 18-24 o 55-64 o 25-34 o 65-74 o 35-44 o 75 or over o 45-54 18. Age of player(s) o 9 or under o 10-12 o 13-15 o 16-18 o Over 18 19. What is your highest level of education? o Elementary o Some High School o High school o Trade School o Some College o College o Graduate School o Post Graduate School 20. What is your annual household income? o Under $25,000 o $100-$149,999 o $300-$399,999 o $25-$49,999 o $150-$199,999 o $400-$499,999 o $50-$74,999 o $200-$249,999 o $500,000 or more o $75-$99,999 o $250-$299,999 21. What is your ethnic origin? oAfrican-American(Black) o Asian oCaucasian(White) o Hispanic oMiddle Eastern oNativeAmerican(Indian) o Other


The Maryland SoccerPlex Mission

On January 21, 1999 the Montgomery County Planning Board approved a proposal to build a $19 million dollar soccer complex in Germantown, MD.ThisjointventurebetweentheMarylandSoccerFoundationandtheMNCPPCbroughtthefirstpublic-privatepartnershiptoMontgomeryCountytoproducethelargestpremierrecreationalfacilityintheWashingtonregion.WithitsideallocationsurroundingtheMD/DC/VAregioncombinedwithitsbreathtakinglandscapeandarchitecture,theMarylandSoccerPleximmediately set itself apart from all others. The SoccerPlex spans 162 acres withinaspectacular655acrerecreationalpark.

The Conference and Visitors Bureau (CVB) of Montgomery County, Maryland

Organization Structure TheConferenceandVisitorsBureau(CVB)ofMontgomeryCounty,Maryland,Inc.isguidedandsupportedbyaboardofdirectorsrepresentingleadersfromdifferentsectorsofthehospitalityindustry.TheCVBisa501c(6)non-profitorganizationservingasasub-contractortotheMontgomeryCountyDepartmentofEconomic Development.

Organization Mission Statement ThemissionoftheConferenceandVisitorsBureau(CVB)ofMontgomeryCounty,Maryland,Inc.istoenthusiasticallypromote,marketandsellMontgomeryCountyasadestinationformeetings,conventionsandindividualtravelers,fosteringeconomicdevelopmentandbenefitingandsupportingmembersandtheoverallbusinesscommunity.Inaddition,itistheCVB’sgoaltoshowleadershipandberegardedasaqualityorganizationofexpertsandadvocateofitsmembers,partneringwithlocal,county,stateandregionalorganizationsandgovernmentofficialsinanefforttofurtherthesegoals.

economic impact analysis for maryland soccerplex

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