Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
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204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
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Friday, November 13, 2009
By DEBBIE HALL - Bulletin Staff Writer
The Southern Virginia Recreation Facilities Authority and its staff scored a victory when hosting a soccer tournament last weekend, and they hope a Piedmont Youth Soccer League (PYSL) tournament this weekend also will be a success, officials said Thursday.
In a letter written Wednesday to authority Executive Director Dennis Toney, the commissioner of the USA South Athletic Conference, Rita Wiggs, praised Toney and his staff for their work on last weekend’s USA South Men’s and Women’s Soccer Tournament.
“You and your staff did a phenomenal job in the preparation and the hosting of the event,” Wiggs wrote. “Your support and the support of the authority board were evident from the very beginning of our search process and it has never wavered.”
Toney said eight teams participated in the tournament, which was the first held at the complex since it opened earlier this year. Six teams stayed in local motels, he said.
He speculated those teams had a positive impact on the local economy by patronizing motels, restaurants and other businesses.
Each game was broadcast over the Internet using wireless Internet service provided by the city, Toney said, and a banquet held last Thursday attracted 260 players and coaches.
“I think we got good exposure. Now, we’ll evaluate what we did” and what can be improved on, he said.
Toney estimated between $13,000 and $14,000 was generated from ticket purchases and a concession stand at the complex.
However, “we probably spent more than that,” he said.
The authority board knew in advance it would not make a profit on the tournament.
Even if expenses totaled $2,000 to $3,000 more than income, Toney said, “in my opinion, it was worth it” because the tournament was a success and ensured the complex received a lot of attention.
The financial report will be available at the Dec. 3 meeting, Toney said.
Local businesses were supportive of the event, he added, and estimated that between 50 and 100 local residents attended the tournament each night.
“It was very competitive, high quality soccer,” Toney said.
Mark Heath, an authority board member who also is the president and CEO of the Martinsville-Henry County EDC, said he was told four local hotels were booked as a result of the tournament.
Employees manning the Visitor Center told Heath they were “calling around” to find accommodations for some team members.
Heath said the EDC hopes to put a kiosk at the complex, with information about lodging, restaurants and other details. He also discussed the possibility that tourism staff can, in the future, work to measure the economic impact of tournaments.
In making suggestions, one person said there were no showers for the players, according to Bob Davis, chairman of the authority board.
However, Toney made arrangements with the YMCA for players to use the showers there and to provide transportation to and from that facility.
The PYSL, a local organization, is holding a shoot-out tournament at the complex this weekend with 68 teams from six states scheduled to participate.
That “is pretty much the maximum” number the complex can handle at one time, Toney said.
He stressed that authority staff will be on hand only to assist this weekend, and that PYSL is the host and organizer of the tournament.
The two-day tournament will include travel team soccer players from 10 to 19 years of age. It is slated to begin at 8 a.m. Saturday and likely will not be over until 10 or 10:30 p.m.
The younger age groups will play during the day, and the older ones will play under the lights, Toney said.
He estimated that the tournament, which will end around 6 p.m. Sunday, will draw between 1,000 and 1,500 people to the complex each day.
In other matters at Thursday’s meeting, the board:
• Heard a report from Toney, who said he expects revenues to be $60,000 through December and what will have been the first six months of the complex’s operation. That amount is $20,000 more than projected, he added.
• Heard an update about the progress of a business plan. Drafts for two portions — industry analysis and target market analysis — are completed, according to Chris Cousins of the Southside Business Technology Center (SBTC), which is preparing the plan.
Cousins said the SBTC is finalizing the draft of a competitor analysis that is to be completed by Monday. Other portions of the plan are on target to be completed on time, with the marketing draft plan due Nov. 21 and a financial forecast and the final draft due Nov. 30. |
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