By B.C. Manion
Pasco County officials are upping the ante in their bid to keep the Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions, a national lacrosse tournament, in Wesley Chapel.
The competition, staged annually over the Christmas holidays, draws roughly 80 teams from across the United States and Canada. It rings up an estimated $3 million impact on the local economy, said Eric Keaton, communications manager for Pasco County.
The tournament has been held in Wesley Chapel since 2008, but is now being courted by IMG Academies, an elite athletic training facility in Bradenton.
IMG is offering a number of enticements, including $40,000, compared to $25,000 in Pasco County’s current agreement, Keaton said. IMG also has 17 fields at one location, compared to 14 fields at two locations in Wesley Chapel, he added.
From the tournament organizer’s perspective, it is more convenient to stage the event at one location, Keaton said. IMG also has security and the ability to broadcast games to the Internet.
On the plus side, Wesley Chapel is home to Saddlebrook Resort, an internationally known destination with tennis, golf and spa facilities, a popular choice among many families traveling to the tournament, Keaton said. Wesley Chapel also is closer to Tampa International Airport and attractions in Tampa and Orlando.
Wesley Chapel has extensive experience with the tournament, Keaton added. The Wesley Chapel Athletic Association and the county’s athletics department have been involved with the tournament since its inception.
“IMG would have to start from scratch,” Keaton said.
Keaton said he has been in talks with NDP Lacrosse, which operates the tournament, trying to keep the national event in Wesley Chapel.
“I think they’re very receptive,” Keaton said.
Frank Britton, secretary of the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association, is concerned about local lacrosse players having a chance to be seen by college coaches if the tournament relocates. He’s also worried about the negative impact on the local economy.
Members of the business community are calling on the county to do what it can to keep the tournament in Wesley Chapel.
“If they’re going to spend hotel tax dollars keeping something here, spend it keeping this,” said Todd Patrick, sales director for Hampton Inn & Suites Tampa-Wesley Chapel, 2740 Cypress Ridge Blvd.
Patrick said losing the Tournament of Champions could lead to losing the Derek Pieper Memorial Cup, a significant loss because the Derek Pieper contest is the only Florida qualifying tournament for the Tournament of Champions, and also brings in significant business.
Patrick believes IMG will be able to make a case for the Derek Pieper tournament, if it is able to secure the Tournament of Champions.
Britton said he thinks it is more likely that the Derek Pieper tournament would continue in Wesley Chapel, but that IMG would host an additional qualifying tournament, which would reduce the number of teams participating at Derek Pieper.
Patrick said his hotel does about 300 room nights for the Derek Pieper tournament and about 400 room nights for the Tournament of Champions. The impact goes beyond losing those bookings, though, Patrick said. Losing that business would lower the room rate the hotel could charge, he said, noting the effect of supply and demand.
Patrick said his hotel wants to do what it can to help keep the tournament, including offering rebates to hotel guests in town for the tournament.
The county needs to work out an enticing package, Patrick said. “These guys (tournament organizers) don’t really care where it is, they’re just looking for the better deal.”
Hotels aren’t the only losers if the tournaments relocate, Patrick added. Many local businesses will suffer as well, he said. Team parents often ask him: “Where’s the Publix? Where is the Walgreens?
“We sent one entire team to Cobb Theatre. We sent many teams to Hungry Harry’s (Family) Bar-B-Que and many teams to Texas Roadhouse.
“Almost every team made a team trip to Wiregrass mall,” Patrick said.
Greg Lenners, general manager for The Shops at Wiregrass, said there’s no doubt the regional mall at SR 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard picks up business from people attending the annual tournaments. Mall retailers pick up foot traffic but Lenners suspects mall restaurants would suffer the biggest blow if the tournaments move.
“If there is something TDC (Tourist Development Council) can do, I would strongly encourage it,” Lenners said.
Jeff Miller, chairman of the Wesley Chapel Economic Development Committee, has written county commissioners urging them to do what they can. The impact goes beyond the spending by visitors, Miller said. It also affects the community’s ability to reach a national audience, leading to long-term consequences, Miller said.
Pasco County Commissioner Pat Mulieri agreed with business leaders that the county must address the issue.
“We need to match the money,” Mulieri said, via email. “It is being worked on.”
