Faculty Publications

Spectators' Characteristics And Economic Impact Of Local Sports Events: A Case Study Of Cedar Valley Moonlight Classic Soccer Tournament

Document Type

Article

Keywords

Economic impact, Local sports events, Spectators' characteristics

Journal/Book/Conference Title

World Leisure Journal

Volume

48

Issue

3

First Page

45

Last Page

53

Abstract

Within the events and attractions industry, short-term tourism events have increasingly gained popularity as catalysts for local economic development. Many communities promote sport, recreation and tourism opportunities to make full use of their recreational facilities, and to expand and diversify their local economy. Identifying who the spectators are in these small-scale sporting events will help to effectively apply marketing strategies and to accurately measure direct economic impact of such events. This study was designed to investigate the spectators' characteristics and the economic benefit of a small-scale sports event, the Cedar Valley Moonlight Classic Soccer Tournament, held at the Cedar Valley Youth Soccer Association complex in Waterloo, Iowa, in 2004 during the month of June. The findings are compared to area visitor statistics in order to help interpret the significance of local sport tournaments. IMPLAN Input-Output Model is utilized to assess the economic impact. The findings are useful to demonstrate the economic contribution to a community, and to illustrate to parks and recreation administrators an avenue for more effective decision-making and support for these types of events in their communities. © 2006 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Department

School of Health, Physical Education, and Leisure Services

Original Publication Date

1-1-2006

DOI of published version

10.1080/04419057.2006.9674453

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