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How is your soccer tournament like Apple?

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This week, the Washington Post published an article on Apple, it’s new product line and how it is kicking butt all over the computer world despite being in a recession. In the article, it concedes that Apple’s success are not merely driven by Apple fanatics who will buy anything Apple makes, but by a sound, well-thought out value strategy.

Quite simply, Apple produces a quality product and makes no compromises on design and user interface. They set the price high enough to generate a profit to ensure research and development dollars for future products and don’t apologize for it nor do they adjust it based on whether or not we are in a recession. Their products don’t appeal to everyone, but the audience to which they appeal are loyal and expect quality; first time, every time.

And they are onto something. As the average PC maker continues to be squeezed by their customers who shop on price, they have fewer and fewer dollars left to innovate and improve. When a recession happens, many low-cost producers simply go out of business because they can’t afford to weather the storm. They did not prepare.

Is your soccer tournament an Apple or a PC? Is your fee/vendor/sponsorship agreements set high enough to claim value and ensure enough profitability to assure your guest teams that you will be around next year? Or in some cases, even this year? Do you take care of your guest teams enough to justify your fees?

Our advice: Set your team fees high enough to make sure there is enough profit to operate at a high-quality level. Don’t cave to arguments of teams not being able to afford your tournament. You are providing quality soccer competition and entertainment at a fair price that reflects your value. If some teams have problems affording you but have pegged your tournament as a “must attend” event, then perhaps they need to make cost-cuts elsewhere.

And don’t compromise your vendor relationships — including hotels and concessions — to make your tournament more affordable to guest teams. Don’t undervalue your volunteers and staff by cutting perks. Don’t buy cheaper awards. Don’t compromise your marketing.

And don’t cave to scheduling demands that compromises revenue. If that means shrinking the number of teams you accept in order to maintain your quality and profitability goals, then do it. If you are profitable, you can always grow in stronger economic years.

Your ultimate goal is to build a soccer tournament event that is sustainable and will benefit your soccer organization and your local community over a long period of time. Making price deals just to satisfy short-term team counts does not contribute to that goal.

Using postcards as effective soccer tournament marketing

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Click the postcard to view front and back in full size

Click the postcard to view front and back in full size

A postcard for the Hershey Tournament and the Penn State 8v8 arrived earlier this week. It got my attention, not only because the two events are TourneyCentral.com tournaments, but because it was well designed and executed. Here’s why.

I knew what it was about quickly
I didn’t have to open a letter or fight with that low-grade postage wafer that tears most of the information off the top of the flyer folded in thirds. “2 great tournaments.” The logos were right there on top, leading the description.

5Ws
Who, What, When, Where, Why and How were listed in bullets points and were easy to read. No disclaimers were mixed in to “CYA” the tournament. Just the facts and where to go to get more.

Contact information front and center
The web address was right there as was the email AND PHONE NUMBER. Chances are most folks will go to the web site first, but there are a few coaches left who still feel more comfortable picking up the phone and getting a feel for how real the event is.

It is print
I’m an advocate for the Internet, but nothing replaces 4-color print — even if only a postcard — to let your guest teams know that you believe in your event enough to design a postcard, print it out and pay for postage to mail it to them. Print says “I am real.”

Good use of white space
The designer did not stuff every square inch of postcard space with crap. Get the basics out, push your audience to the web site where they can read more if they need to. Just the facts and lots of breathing room.

What I would have liked to see
– A human face, a soccer player or coach. A family that has been helped by the charity.
– The web address bigger for each event
– Rule of thirds and some offset. The tournament panels being side-by-side instead of flanking the middle content.
– A little more contrast between the actual soccer tournament events and the Kicks4Kids organization.
– More WIIFM (What’s in it for me) to the coach and less about the hosting organization.
– A TourneyCentral logo, showing that they are hosted by the best (but that is really selfish on my part.)

Please feel free to leave a comment if you disagree with my list.

Print and direct mail is not dead. Neither is the US Postal Service. A great soccer tournament will use a mix of email marketing, print and word-of-mouth to get the message out about their tournament.

Almost ready for St. Louis and the NSCAA

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Just in case you were following along with us, checking off the dates until the big NSCAA soccer conference in St. Louis, here is our booth status. Almost ready!

Our TourneyCentral.com NSCAA booth. A little more nip and tuck, but we're almost there.

Our TourneyCentral.com NSCAA booth. A little more nip and tuck, but we're almost there.

Meet us in St. Louis for the NSCAA.
We’re in booth 1735 and we won’t even try to sell you anything, so you can stay and chat as long as you want. Really. And, if you want to make a podcast promoting your soccer tournament, Back of the Net will help you with that. You don’t even need to be a TourneyCentral tournament.

Do you welcome new volunteers into your soccer tournament?

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The lifeblood of a successful soccer tournament is the army of volunteers who run the concession stand, sell the sponsorship ads, stand duty as field marshals, sell t-shirts, direct the parking and generally make sure your guest teams feel welcome and cared-for. But, how many of these volunteers are the same people, doing the same jobs year after year?

If your soccer tournament is like most, the same folks are doing the same jobs every year. On one hand, that is good because you have consistency. On the other, it is bad because there is no new talent to take over these critical jobs if the veterans were to leave.

I read Chris Brogan’s blog regularly about social media. For the most part, he is considered an expert in social media technologies such as Twitter, blogging, Facebook and the like. But I don’t think he is an expert on human behavior. Yesterday, he posted a rant about people using robots to reply to a new Twitter follow. There was (and still is) some discussion going on about his opinion on using robots, but I think Jeff Crites’s comment (#182) sums up the issue most closely aligned with soccer tournament would-be volunteers.

Most volunteers just want to help out and have some fun. Having been involved in soccer clubs for a number of year, both in the inner circles and on the outside, there are mainly two reasons people do not volunteer, regardless of the excuse they may use.

1. They are afraid that if they open their time to one or two things, the tournament will take advantage of their time and inundate them with responsibilities. So, it is easier to say no and keep the door shut.

2. They do not feel accepted by the “inner circle” of folks who already run the show. This is perhaps the most common reason.

A soccer tournament, like Twitter, is a scary place. There is a lot going on and a lot of folks who are experts at making it happen. They know all the rules — written and unwritten — and they make it all look easy. They are intimidating to new folks. And — like the Twitter community — the veterans have little patience with anyone who is new coming in and shaking things up. (If this does not describe your soccer tournament, consider yourself very, very lucky. Be honest with yourself; this is all part of that human condition we’re cursed with.)

New volunteers do threaten the status quo. They threaten the existing “power circles” the veterans have built. And that is a good thing because they also bring in new blood, new energy, and a different perspective. If there is no change, there is no growth.

Sure, the veterans will rant about these “new guys coming in and wanting to change everything,” but experienced, seasoned leaders will do it in private and as a release of their own fears of becoming irrelevant and obsolete, not as a rant against new blood who may not quite understand the rules but have good intentions. There may be a few new folks who step up to volunteer for the wrong reasons, but for the most part, they will be found out quickly and either corrected or asked to leave.

Our advice: Running a soccer tournament is more about leading people than it is about finding teams and scheduling games. Stop and think about how you felt the very first day you volunteered. Think about how scary it was being among all those people who were so sure of how to do things. Did you feel comfortable? How long did it take you to become the expert you are now? Did anyone take you aside and show you the ropes?

As a tournament director, identify those areas in your organization that have built walls to new volunteers. Actively seek to tear them down. And, if you have built a wall around yourself, start tearing that down. Pair new volunteers with those expert veterans who are open to change. Establish a new volunteer system that encourages change.

And try the new ideas suggested by new volunteers, but make them responsible for executing their own ideas. If they work, you’re ahead of a lot of soccer tournaments who are doing the same-ol’, same-ol’ every year. And, if they don’t, then they don’t. Don’t make a big fuss, don’t point fingers, but do encourage change, personal responsibility and innovation. If other volunteers see that you rant on unsuccessful ideas, they will be less apt to propose them and your tournament will not grow.

And never, ever use the phrase “We tried that once and it didn’t work.” If a new volunteer is willing to put in time and effort on an idea you tried a few years ago, perhaps times have changed and it will work this time.

Whatever you do, never publicly rant against new people who are enthusiastic and bright-eyed, even if they get stuff wrong and tick you off with their energy and excitement. It will make your soccer tournament look stodgy and you will scare off entire generations of potential volunteers. And your tournament will stagnate as your current experts get older and more resistant to change.

Make this year the year you resolve to try new things and break the status quo. In a down economy, the worst product to be selling is a commodity that anyone can get anywhere. Resolve to be different, to be special. Resolve that new people with new ideas will help you get there.

Meet us in St. Louis for the NSCAA. Jan 14-17, 2009
We’re in booth 1735 and we won’t even try to sell you anything, so you can stay and chat as long as you want. Really. And, if you want to make a podcast promoting your soccer tournament, Back of the Net will help you with that. You don’t even need to be a TourneyCentral tournament.

The recession will affect soccer tournaments

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Make no mistake about it; the current recession will hurt some soccer tournaments. Attendance will be down as teams will travel to fewer and fewer tournaments. And some tournaments, especially the ones that attract teams from more affluent areas where wealth is based on stocks and high home value may feel especially high pressure to limit soccer tournament travel.

The only bright light in this whole financial mess is the low cost of gasoline. Or, is it?

While teams may be cutting the number of tournaments in their schedule, it really only matters if they cut yours. If you have worked to create a must-attend tournament event, most likely you will survive the cut.

Here are some must-attend qualities:

1. You have consistently worked to make the teams feel at home while they are guests at your event.
Have you worked to make sure their questions were answered quickly via email? If they have had hotel problems, did you help to resolve them? When there were disputes about scoring, rules, etc, did you work with each party to resolve for a win-win-win? Are your volunteers cheerful and helpful? At the end of the tournament, did the most loosingest team remark in some fashion, “We lost every game, but had a blast! We’ll be back next year!”

2. Your organization is solid.
You have control of your data and everyone knows what is going on, from the host coach at a league game to the advertising coordinator to the person in charge of registering the teams. Your web site is up-to-date at all times, even to the minute during the tournament weekend. Your front page has news, maybe even hourly during the competition.

3. You have solid sponsors
This may seem like a little thing, but adidas doesn’t just sponsor anyone. And, once you get their sponsorship, you don’t get to keep it forever without working hard at it, especially in this economy. Parents and coaches are fairly savvy about what it takes to convince a corporation to spend sponsorship dollars at a youth soccer event that only takes place for 2-3 days in a limited geographic area. A display of some well-heeled sponsors get you respect.

4. Games are played on time and are well-controlled
Don’t underestimate the power of keeping a tight control of the games on the field. Many teams have been to a lot of tournaments where nobody seems to be in charge, games are played when referees stroll onto the field and all sorts of loosey-goosey standards. Don’t be one of those events! Expect everyone to show up on time, schedule enough referees to over-cover the games and make sure the volunteer field marshals know the times, locations and duties. And, if you can’t find volunteers, pay your field marshals. They are that important, for safe play and for your brand protection.

5. Advertise and market, market, market
A lot of soccer tournaments are going to be scared of this economy and pull back their advertising. DON’T LET YOUR TOURNAMENT BE ONE OF THEM! NOW is the time to go out and become visible. Now is the time to grab market share. Now is the time to be bold. Make sure your TICO Score is up-to-date, your tournament is listed correctly at your state association and your other media like podcasts and bulletin board advertising is intact. And, get some postcards/business cards for all your coaches to hand out (ask for Don Denny.)

6. Web site
I saved this for last, but it really is the most important of all. Make sure your web site is up-to-date, and uses the latest technology to bring your guest teams real-time information including scores and standings. We recommend any and all tournaments on this list. Your web site is your front door so it should be easy to find out information. (Who, What, Where, When, How Much does this cost) The application form should be readily accessible and work without any fancy log-ins, pre registration, etc. All TourneyCentral soccer tournaments have these capabilities built in from the ground up.

Our advice: Firstly, if you don’t already have a TourneyCentral web site, get one. Secondly, if you do, make sure it is turned on and ready for 2009. Thirdly, be visible everywhere. If you can, go to the NSCAA in St. Louis. Make sure your TICO Score is current. Advertise and get cards to hand out. But mostly, believe in your event and make sure your club/host coaches, teams, parents and players are your greatest champions and they know and love your tournament as much as you do.

2009 could be make or break for a lot of events. Make sure yours is on the “make” list.

Meet us in St. Louis for the NSCAA.
We’re in booth 1735 and we won’t even try to sell you anything, so you can stay and chat as long as you want. Really. And, if you want to make a podcast promoting your soccer tournament, Back of the Net will help you with that. You don’t even need to be a TourneyCentral tournament.

Playing on the big soccer field now!

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Hey guys, we just made it into Alltop.com! This is a huge deal.

This means that all your soccer tournament news will reach a wider audience than ever before as will the blog entries we write regularly. As TourneyCentral.com continues to reshape the soccer tournament market as the premium event management software, your tournament will also get a lift because you are part of the TourneyCentral family.

So, take being including in the Alltop.com blog magazine rack as a compliment and confirmation that we each kick as… umm, grass 🙂

What is Alltop? The easiest way to describe it is to let you watch the video below. Enjoy.

Market Day debuts soccer fundraising at the Warrior Classic

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20080427marketday DAYTON – Market Day is known best for fundraising in schools, but this year, it is branching out into soccer tournaments and clubs. The Warrior Soccer Classic is the first soccer tournament to feature the soccer-specific fund-raiser.

“We met at the US Youth Soccer Convention in Pittsburgh,” says Carol Maas, co-director for the Classic. “It was an instant marriage of common interest and goals.” Mass added that Market Day was a good match for the 24,000 plus participants of the annual soccer tournament.

According to Kristine Holtz, 40, president and CEO for Market Day, the fundraising organization was founded in the early 1970s by Trudy Temple in response to her daughter’s request for a cake for the school bake sale. Instead, Temple brought cases of fresh produce and soon found herself being asked to do the same for more schools.

“The soccer tournament fund-raising concept is just an extension of what Market Day already does well,” Holtz added. “We’re excited to partner with the Classic to introduce the concept to soccer.”

The Warrior Soccer Classic is held every year over Memorial Day Weekend in Dayton, Oh. at Thomas Cloud Park, Oakwood Old River, Ankeney Complex and the Vandalia Soccer Fields. The Classic is hosting over 525 teams in forty-three divisions; boys, girls and amateur men and women, under 8-19. Nine hundred nine games will be played over the three-day weekend.

For more information on the Warrior Classic or Market Day, visit the tournament Web site at www.warriorclassic.com.

PHOTO: Maas demonstrates the Market Day product line available to teams during the Warrior Classic.

Visit the event web site….

MASC declares girls champions

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FAIRFIELD – According to its Web site, the 2008 MidAmerican Soccer Classic (MASC) declared the following teams champions within their divisions for the girls weekend.

GU09Bronze, GPSA Breakers 99A; GU09Copper, GSSA Sycamore United; GU09Gold, Warren County Blue; GU09Silver, Classics hammer FC; GU10Bronze, Westside Premier 97-98; GU10Copper, WC Silver Attack Pack; GU10Gold, Michigan Burn 98 Sikorski; GU10Red, WV Chaos-Fox; GU10Silver, Pride S.C. Maroon; GU11Gold, Eagles SC, Lady Eagles ’96; GU11Bronze, Loveland Chargers Orange; GU11Copper, Worthington United Silver; GU11Red, FOSC Swarm White; GU11Silver, NK United Lady Cobras; GU12-8v8Bronze, 1996 WV Chaos Girls; GU12-8v8Silver, Westlake Rockers; GU12Bronze, Sycamore United Gold; Gu12 Copper, Stingers; GU12Gold, LUSC Premier; GU12Silver, NWC Alliance G95 Black; GU13Bronze, Cincinnati Futbol Academy Gold; GU13Copper, NK United Flames; GU13Gold, Greater Toledo Futbol Club; GU13Red Canton Celtic 95 White; GU13Silver, Cutters 95; GU14Bronze, NK United Crush; GU14Copper, Sycamore Arsenal; GU14Gold, Central Ky Lightening; GU14Silver, BSC Cobras; GU15Bronze, WC United Blue; Gu15Gold, WV Chaos Elite; GU15Silver, Ohio Galaxies FC 92 Elite Girls; GU16Bronze, CJ United Crossfire, GU16Gold, North London Flash U15 Girls, GU16Silver MTSC Thunder, GU17Bronze, Loveland Chargers U16; GU17Gold, Commonwealth Soccer Club, U17; GU17Silver, St Catharines Jets; GU19Gold, London Supernova; GU19Silver, CWSC United

For complete information on the MASC soccer tournament, including real-time scores, standings and photos, visit the Web site at www.masctournament.com.

Visit the event web site….

Soccer moms and dads arm themselves with cameras in hunt for precious memories

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20080411mascFAIRFIELD – Armed with cameras trained at soccer players on the field of competition, Corinne Vespie and her crew of soccer moms and dads are on a mission to capture as many photos as possible of the teams at this year’s Mid American Soccer Classic (MASC).

“I’ve had over twenty responses from boys teams and over forty responses for girls teams to be photographed,” states Vespie excitedly. “I’m sure we’ll get more as the tournament progresses.” All the proceeds from the sale of the photos will be given to the Fairfield Optimist Soccer Club (FOSC) Girls U16 Thunder.

Joining Vespie in the fund-raising endeavor are other soccer moms and dads that she recruited; Lorinda Ottaway, Vickie Gump and Shawn Starkey. Vespie is a part-time professional photographer and hopes to turn this opportunity into a full-time profession.

“All of the photographers have girls who play for FOSC,” Vespie explains. The photos will be available through Picture Perfect Studio’s Web site, linked from the MASC tournament Web site.

For complete information about the 2008 MASC soccer tournament, including real-time scores, standing and photos taken by Vespie and her crew, visit www.masctournament.com.

PHOTO (Contributed by Corinne Vespie) A game photograph available for purchase of the MASC boys weekend.

Visit the event web site….

MASC declares boys champions

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FAIRFIELD – According to its Web site, the 2008 MidAmerican Soccer Classic (MASC) declared the following teams champions within their divisions for the boys weekend.

BU08Gold, WC United B99 Red; BU09Bronze, Canton Celtic 99 White; BU09Copper, Cesa FC; BU09Gold, Sycamore Arsenal – Black; BU09Silver, WASA Eagles Wings; BU10Bronze, U-10 Ohio Elite Soccer Academy Gold; BU10Copper, Hilliard FC Nitro; BU10Gold, KASC Elite 97; BU10Silver, Team Ohio FC Arsenal; BU11Gold, Warren County United United Blue B96; BU11Silver, Michigan Rush Swoosh; BU12-8v8, Michigan Rush Swoosh; BU12Bronze, CFC Fury; BU12Copper, LUSC Firehawks Black; BU12Gold, WC United Blue 95; BU12Silver, Magic White 96; BU13Bronze, Warrior 94; BU13Copper, WASA Global Red; BU13Gold, Team Ohio FC Sparta; BU13Silver, FOSC Storm; BU14Bronze, FOSC Force U-14 Boys; BU14Copper, Toledo Football Academy; BU14Gold, Toledo Football Academy U14 Premier; BU14Silver, Cincinnati United Premier White; BU15Bronze, MTSC Storm; BU15Copper, Toledo Football Academy; BU15Gold, Lakota Eagles; BU15Silver, Michigan Rush Nike; BU16Bronze, Toledo Football Academy U16 Premier; BU16Copper, SKY FC 92; BU16Gold, CESA FC U-16; BU16Silver, Livonia Meteors; BU17Bronze, Team Ohio FC Black; BU17Gold, FOSC Blitz; BU17Silver, CUP 91 White; BU19Gold, FOSC KRUE and BU19Silver, FOSC United.

The girls teams play this coming weekend at the same locations in Fairfield, Oh. For complete information on the MASC soccer tournament, including real-time scores, standings and photos, visit the Web site at www.masctournament.com.

Visit the event web site….

Referees make good call on banana bread

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20080405mascFAIRFIELD – It is rare that a soccer referee gets everyone to agree on a call, but when it comes to Steve Frechling’s banana bread, the opinions are unanimous. This bread is good.

Frechling started baking banana bread about 11 years ago when he suddenly found a lot a time on his hands after his son finished playing travel hockey. He had a steady supply of bananas from his employer, time and a desire to try something new. A menu of banana breads that include such flavors as white chocolate, chocolate chip, peanut butter, walnut and plain banana was born. He started to bring the extra loaves to the referee tents and quickly found himself a fan following.

“This has grown into a small cottage industry,” Frechling says. “Referees seem to like it and now expect it at soccer tournament where I referee.”

In addition to refereeing league games and tournaments, Frechling also assigns referees for the MASC, PRF and helps out with other tournaments across southwestern Ohio. This weekend and next, he and his banana bread will be at the referee tents in ample supply at the MASC tournament, in Fairfield, Oh.

For complete information at this year’s MASC, please visit the Web site at www.masctournament.com

PHOTO: Harry Bourne and Dan Craycraft, both referees at the 2008 MASC soccer tournament, take a moment between games to chat and enjoy Frechling’s banana bread with coffee.

Visit the event web site….

MASC hosts soccer teams from seven states and Canada

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20080404mascFAIRFIELD – This weekend, the Mid-American Soccer Classic (MASC) will host 262 boys teams from seven states, including Canada. The teams are traveling from Indiana, Ohio (North and South), West Virginia, Michigan, Kentucky, Illinois and Pennsylvania. Six of the boys teams are from Canada, with twenty-one teams total from Canada. A total of 430 games over Saturday and Sunday will be played at Optimist Park, Joyce Park and Applecreek Fields in Fairfield. The girls play at the same venues next weekend, April 12-13.

Some teams had expressed some concern about the weather, but according to Mike Hessling, the tournament schedule coordinator, the fields are in playable condition and he expects the rain to hold. “We’ll just move things around if we need to,” Hessling chimed. “No big deal.”

The total number of teams for both weekends is 577 with a grand total of 950 games. “That’s also a lot of referees,” says John Kingham, one of the three referee assignors tasked with finding and scheduling referees. “We just take it in stride, the weather and all the activity. That’s just soccer.”

For all the game action as it unfolds throughout both weekends, visit the MASC Web site at www.masctournament.com.

PHOTO: Game action from the 2007 MASC girls weekend.

Visit the event web site….

Champions declared for the 11th annual Middletown Spring Blast

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20080331msbMIDDLETOWN – According to its Web site, the 2008 Middletown Spring Blast declared the following teams champions within their divisions.

BU09BLUE, Warren County B98 Black; BU09RED, BSA Celtic Premier 98; BU10BLUE, Team Challenger FC; BU10RED, Flash U10 Boys; BU11BLUE, CJ United Cyclones; BU13, PASA Flash Elite U13 Boys; BU14, North United Warriors; BU15, Warrior 92 Black; BU16, Hoosier FC Orange; BU16/17, Sycamore Arsenal; BU18/19, North United 90; G11BLUE, LUSC Courage White; GU08, Warren County United Blue; GU09BLUE, Middletown Mustangs; GU09RED, PASA U9 Girls Purple; GU10BLUE, Cardinals Gold B; GU10RED, PASA U10 Girls Purple; GU10WHITE, Lady Warrior 97 White; GU11RED, Lady Warriors 96 Black; GU12BLUE, FC Phoenix; GU12RED, Miami Valley Rangers 95; GU13BLUE, FC Phoenix; GU13RED, Lady Trojans ’94; GU14BLUE, NKSL Lightning Bolts; GU14RED, WC United White; GU15, North United Heat and GU16, North United Lightning.

For all the game scores, standings and fan-contributed photos, check out the Web site at www.middletownspringblast.com.

PHOTO: (Contributed by Michelle Alexander) GU16 Westfield Storm and Lady Wolfpack battle for possession during their first game Sat, Mar 29, 2008 4:45pm at Smith Park. The game ended 0-0.

Visit the event web site….

Pennsylvania soccer teams find a home in Middletown for the weekend

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20080329msbMIDDLETOWN – Whistles echoed sharply through the chilly air from all four corners of Smith Park at 8:00am this morning, signaling the start of the eleventh annual Middletown Spring Blast. Teams from across the Midwest converged at the Spring Blast to compete for a champion trophy. Among the hopeful teams is the girls U12 North United Blitz from Pittsburgh, Pa.

“Ohio is known for good soccer tournaments,” said Ryanne Palermo, head coach of the Blitz. This year is Palermo’s first time bringing her team to the Spring Blast, and she has high expectations. “The Spring Blast came highly recommended by other teams in our club that have played here in previous years.”

The North United Blitz is one of eleven teams from the North United Classic Soccer Club. In all, 199 teams from six states are competing for thirty champion and finalist trophies in age-based divisions, ranging from U8 through U19. Fourteen teams are from Pennsylvania.

“We’re the first tournament that a lot of teams attend to kick off their spring season,” says Kathy Stites, tournament director for the Spring Blast. “We make sure they all have a good time, go home and tell all their club teams about our tournament.”

The 2008 Middletown Spring Blast is held Sat-Sun, March 29-30, with games from 8:00am to 5:00pm. Championship games are held on Sunday starting at 1:00pm. To follow the North United Blitz and all the teams with real-time scores and photos contributed by fans, tune into www.middletownspringblast.com.

PHOTO: Members of the North United Blitz rally before their first game on Sat. The Blitz plays at 9:15am and 2:15pm on Sat and again at 8:00am on Sun.

Visit the event web site….

Soccer tournaments weathering economy just fine

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20080310soccerDAYTON – Despite the credit crunch, foreclosure rate and unemployment news, soccer tournaments appear to be doing just fine. According to TourneyCentral, applications for spring tournaments are up an average of thirty-seven percent over this time last year.

“We’re seeing an increase in most of our spring soccer tournaments across the board,” says Gerard McLean, president of Rivershark, Inc., parent company of TourneyCentral. TourneyCentral provides management software and solutions to soccer tournaments throughout the United States and Canada, including twenty events in the Greater Dayton Area.

“With the increasing price of gas, we were expecting a down year,” says McLean. “We are still cautiously optimistic about concessions sales at the actual event per capita, however,” adds McLean.

According to Carol Maas, tournament director for the Warrior Classic held during Memorial Day weekend in Dayton, people are looking for a quality entertainment and competition value. The Warrior Classic is in its twenty-second year and is up about forty-two percent in applications over this time last year.

“I know I’ll have to turn away teams because we simply don’t have enough fields,” Maas added. “That is the hardest part of being successful.” Maas typically attracts close to 500 teams into the Miami Valley, with an economic impact of over $5 million.

The official kick-off of league soccer season in the Miami Valley is Sat, March 15. The tournament season follows soon after the next weekend with the Middletown Spring Blast. For more information on soccer tournaments in the Miami Valley, visit www.tourneycentral.com/events.html.

PHOTO: From the 2007 MeadCup tournament B118v8Gold CUSA Courage 96 Premier (0) vs. Hilliard FC Raptors (5) at Sun, Sep 02, 2007 5:30 PM on field NCR06.

Visit the event web site….