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NDP Lacrosse

‘Florida Finale’ event added to lacrosse tourney

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A popular youth lacrosse tournament in Wesley Chapel soon will feature even more teams from across the nation.

NDP (National Development Program) Lacrosse announced last month it will debut the Dick’s Sporting Goods Florida Finale lacrosse tournament, held in conjunction with the 11th annual Tournament of Champions presented by Pasco County.

The Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions typically draws more than 70 teams. The participation-based Florida Finale event should add to that figure. (File Photo)
The Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions typically draws more than 70 teams. The participation-based Florida Finale event should add to that figure.
(File Photo)

The Florida Finale event, like the pre-collegiate national championship, will feature high school elite and rising stars divisions, as well as 15U, 13U and 11U competitions.

Both tournaments will take place simultaneously on fields at Wesley Chapel District Park and Wesley Chapel High School, from Dec. 29 through Dec. 31.

The biggest difference, however, is the invitation process.

While teams must earn bids to compete in the Tournament of Champions, entry into the Florida Finale is open to all teams that participate in an official qualifying tournament this year that do not earn a national championship bid. One local qualifying tournament — the Derek Pieper Memorial Cup Tournament at Wesley Chapel District Park — wrapped up on Nov. 20.

“Coaches and players from teams that haven’t qualified have been asking for the opportunity to play lacrosse over New Year’s in warm, sunny Florida,” said Josh Gross, NDP’s senior director of lacrosse operations. “This event will be a great extension of the qualifying tournament series and the coveted national championship platform.”

Ed Caum
Ed Caum

Ed Caum, Pasco County’s tourism manager, said the Florida Finale add-on is a “no-brainer” due to the anticipated economic boost for the Tampa Bay area.

“We’re going to have more foot traffic through the Wesley Chapel area,” Caum said, “so it’s going to affect…Fowler Avenue all the way up through Wesley Chapel, and maybe as far north as Dade City because (hotel) rooms are already hard to come by.”

That being said, the Florida Finale likely won’t create a large draw until next year, since the event’s formal announcement was made too late for many travel lacrosse teams.

Gross noted “a few teams” have indicated they’ll compete in this year’s Florida Finale, but he expects a considerable participation bump in 2017.

“There’s definitely a lot of interest for it. I think in 2017 is when you’re really going to have the impact from it,” Gross said.

“A lot of teams are setting their schedule for next year,” he added, “and they can let the parents prepare for it as an expected expense and something they can book further out.”

Last year, the Tournament of Champions alone drew 73 teams — 59 of which were out-of-state. The 2015 tournament involved 1,533 players and 219 coaches. Additionally, there were about 3,250 spectators on each day of the three-day tournament.

The event’s economic impact for the Tampa Bay area is typically substantial.

Josh Gross
Josh Gross

The total impact in 2015 was estimated at about $2.1 million for Pasco and Hillsborough counties. That figure, however, is down compared to prior years, including 2014 ($2.9 million) and 2013 ($2.6 million), respectively.

Besides the economic uptick, the tournament offers lacrosse players a chance to showcase their skills against elite competition, exposing their abilities in front of scouts from collegiate lacrosse programs.

“These are all-star teams that travel from different places around the country. We truly get some of the best competition in the world,” Gross explained.

In June, Pasco County and NDP signed a two-year deal (which includes a third-year option) through 2017 to keep the Tournament of Champions in Wesley Chapel.

“We’ve got so much building in this area, including more hotels, that it just made more sense to do a two-year and see what we got,” Caum said.

The tournament has been in Wesley Chapel since 2008.

Published November 30, 2016

Lacrosse tournament to stay in Wesley Chapel

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Lacrosse players from across the nation will compete in Wesley Chapel at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions for at least the next two years.

Pasco County and NDP (National Development Program) Lacrosse have entered into an agreement that covers the tournament for 2016 and 2017.

Last year’s tournament had a $2.1 million economic impact on Pasco and Hillsborough counties, said Ed Caum, Pasco County’s tourism manager.

Opponents face off in a previous Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions game. (File Photo)
Opponents face off in a previous Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions game.
(File Photo)

With new developments — such as Tampa Premium Outlets and Florida Hospital Center Ice, as well as other businesses and restaurants — there’s potential for an even greater economic return from the visitors, Caum said.

“We are very pleased the Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions lacrosse tournament will be returning to Wesley Chapel,” Tracy Clouser, board chair of The Greater Wesley Chamber of Commerce, said via email. “We feel the area has a lot to offer tournament attendees and their support of our hotels, restaurants and shopping venues has a significant economic impact on our community.”

Besides the economic boost, the tournament offers lacrosse players a chance to showcase their skills, and colleges a chance to scout for players, Caum said.

Teams from the United States and Canada earn bids at qualifying tournaments to compete for the national championship across five divisions.

The tournament has been held at the Wesley Chapel District Park and at Wesley Chapel High School since 2008.

Ed Caum
Ed Caum

This past year, 73 teams competed. Fifty-nine came from out-of-state and 14 were from Florida, Caum said. The 2015 tournament involved 1,533 players and 219 coaches. There were about 3,250 spectators on each day of the tournament, which takes place each year from Dec. 29 through Dec. 31.

On average, those traveling to the tournament stayed in the area for 3 ½ days to 4 days, Caum said.

But, the tourism manager thinks more can be done to extend their stay.

And, he’s begun reaching out to area sponsors to help make that happen.

“The event kicks off at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Store. They are at The Grove every year.

“There’s a number of other days that they’re going to be in the area. I’d like to see all of our shopping centers and local businesses step up and do some sponsorship to provide opportunities, to move these teams and their families around the whole Pasco area.

“I’d love to see them go to Tree Hoppers, the new cable adventure park. I’d love to see them take an opportunity to go out to SunWest, because even in January that water temperature stays between 72 and 75 degrees because it’s spring-fed.

“You actually could be out there on that giant water playground at the end of December.”

Caum also would like to see more of the visitors bed down for the night in Pasco County.

“I’ve got the report from NDP Lacrosse. About 20 percent of the participants stayed in Pasco and 80 percent stayed in Hillsborough,” Caum said, that’s a 20 percent increase in the number of visitors choosing Hillsborough hotels, instead of staying in Pasco.

“We had a number of our hoteliers that had raised their price up,” the tourism manager said. Families that may have preferred to stay in Pasco were priced out and stayed in Hillsborough hotels instead, he said.

“We’re going to partner with the hotels a lot closer,” Caum said.

“Just because you have a great event coming in, you can’t gouge your participants. We’re hoping that they don’t do that again this year,” Caum said.

There was a time, back in 2012, when the lacrosse tournament’s future in Pasco County was uncertain. Back then, the tournament was being courted by IMG Academies, an elite athletic training facility in Bradenton.

But, Pasco upped the ante in their bid to keep the tournament and were able to secure it for four more years.

This time, the county signed a two-year deal with a third-year option, Caum said.

The county didn’t want to tie the contract to the Wesley Chapel District Park and the fields at Wesley Chapel High School for a longer period, Caum said.

“We may have a new field complex, depending on what rolls out with the sports complex,” Caum said, referring to Pasco County’s ongoing efforts to open a new sports complex.

Regardless of where the event is, however, Caum said the county wants to continue the involvement of the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association.

“We could not do it without them,” Caum said. “They’re the ones who provide all of the volunteers, and do all of the concessions and stuff.”

“That’s another reason that the NDP wanted to come back, because of the relationship they have (with the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association) — they have that volunteer base,” Caum said.

“Pasco County’s Board of County Commissioners, its Tourist Development Council and the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association have provided tremendous support to the event for nearly a decade,” Josh Gross, NDP’s vice president of business operations, said in a news release announcing the two-year deal.

Published June 8, 2016

More than 70 teams at lacrosse tournament in Wesley Chapel

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Wesley Chapel is gearing up for a lacrosse tournament that attracts teams from across the country and provides an economic boost for Pasco County.

The Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions presented by Pasco County is slated for Dec. 29 through Dec. 31.

The tournament, operated by NDP Lacrosse, will showcase 73 elite teams from five youth divisions that will be vying for national titles. The teams are coming from 15 states, as well as one team from Ontario, Canada.

Opponents face off in a previous Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions game. (Courtesy of NDP Lacrosse)
Opponents face off in a previous Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions game.
(Courtesy of NDP Lacrosse)

The tournament, which moved to Pasco County in 2008, has been referred to as the “inaugural national championship” for pre-collegiate lacrosse players on club teams.

“This is not your high school team or your local rec team,” said Josh Gross, NDP’s senior director of lacrosse operations. “These are all-star teams that travel from different places around the country. There have been some (other organizations) that have tried to replicate it, but none to the (level of) success that we’ve had.

“We truly get some of the best competition in the world,” said Gross, whose organization’s acronym, NDP, stands for National Development Program.”

The number of teams participating is slightly down from previous years due to rising travel costs, but the event is still expected to bring in a considerable amount of revenue for Wesley Chapel and Pasco County.

“It’s my understanding that it brings approximately a $2.6 million economic impact to our community,” said Hope Allen, president of The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. “That’s from nights in hotels, eating food, and shopping at our malls.”

With the event falling under the umbrella of the holiday season, many of the lacrosse teams and the players’ families remain in the area for several few days before and after the tournament, said Pasco County Tourism Manager Ed Caum.

“They come down after Christmas and stay through Christmas (break), and enjoy what they can do here after the tournament,” he said. “They can go off to Busch Gardens or down to the Florida Aquarium, so it definitely has a good impact to the Tampa Bay region.”

The tournament, which is held at both the Wesley Chapel District Park and Wesley Chapel High School, had 25 teams when it began operating in Pasco County.

Its growth since then has paved the way for the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association (WCAA) to make capital improvements in facilities, said Tom FitzSimons, WCAA president.

FitzSimons said the tournament also has given exposure to a plethora of local lacrosse players that compete in the event.

“A lot of these kids have grown athletically in the program because they had the ability to play not only teams in Florida, but (teams from) all over the country,” FitzSimons said. “It’s helped them as far as progressing to the next level in college. Upwards of 60 kids that have played with us that played in this event have gone on to play in college.”

The NDP’s existing four-year contract with Pasco County ends after this year, but there is mutual interest to see if a new agreement can be reached.

Gross said he’s excited for the event’s future and hopes it can remain in Pasco County.

“Pasco County, the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association, Saddlebrook Resort and other local partners have been tremendous to NDP and to the event for years,” he said. “We have nothing but great things to say about them.”

For Pasco County, Caum noted there is “about a $100,000 investment” in originally bringing and keeping the tournament in the area.

FitzSimons said the event is really about making a “commitment to the community” for Wesley Chapel.

“I understand the financial parts and everything else, but we’d really like to keep it here and support everything we’re doing in Wesley Chapel,” he said. “Not just from a sport program perspective, but all the growth we’ve seen in keeping these businesses hopping all times of the year.

“I know that we get called pretty much annually from businesses wanting to know when the event is, so they can staff up,” he said.

Published December 23, 2015