Stay to Play the only option?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a soccer parent so please bear with me as I ask questions. What does the tournament organizer get out of having people book hotel rooms? The more rooms booked don't offset field rental costs since those are 2 separate companies. I don't understand it.

The issue I am having is not in the "booking" of the rooms. It's the requirement to go through the specified travel agency. So the travel agency is charging a higher rate than you can get directly through the hotel. There is either a kick-back scheme going on or the tournament organizers also own the travel agency.

Yes. There is an incentive back to the organizer, and more often back to the local community. These fields are all largely built with tax payer money, and the local or regional economic development office and the regional sports promotion NGO have a lot of work in making these successful - so standardizing the travel is one way the community can measure the economic impact of the investment they made, as well as continue to sell the community to other organizers, businesses, sponsors, etc.

It sucks for sure, and is more expensive. But if it is just the best way control the controllable for the community AND the visitor experience.

I don’t believe that, would local community prefer not to have tournaments? It is helping them whether we use the travel agent or not. The travel agent does nothing other thank making it frustrating for attendees.

Believe whatever you want to believe.

Not a single travel tournament is hosted without local government or sports body’s involvement.

Yes…helping them by not having the right amount of police, EMS resources available? Helping them by straining other public works? Helping them by having people book rooms at the local roach motel because it looked nice online, and then leaving the community swearing to never come back?

Travel tournaments are also ways to feature the community and bring outside dollars.
It isn’t just some random club that decides to host it, and it’s a multi-year success because it just gets listed on USA Tournaments. There is a lot of work outside the club that has to be coordinated. And “Jessica who handles trophies and social media” isn’t equipped to pull it off by herself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a soccer parent so please bear with me as I ask questions. What does the tournament organizer get out of having people book hotel rooms? The more rooms booked don't offset field rental costs since those are 2 separate companies. I don't understand it.

The issue I am having is not in the "booking" of the rooms. It's the requirement to go through the specified travel agency. So the travel agency is charging a higher rate than you can get directly through the hotel. There is either a kick-back scheme going on or the tournament organizers also own the travel agency.

Yes. There is an incentive back to the organizer, and more often back to the local community. These fields are all largely built with tax payer money, and the local or regional economic development office and the regional sports promotion NGO have a lot of work in making these successful - so standardizing the travel is one way the community can measure the economic impact of the investment they made, as well as continue to sell the community to other organizers, businesses, sponsors, etc.

It sucks for sure, and is more expensive. But if it is just the best way control the controllable for the community AND the visitor experience.

Do you work for a PR firm?? This is some spin for sure. The local community gets money whether I book directly through the hotel or utilizing a travel agency that probably isn't even registered in said state. The local community gets money when I go out to eat. The local community gets money when the tournament organizers pay to rent the fields and facilities with the $$ they already charged you to play. It for sure is not a way to control the community and visitor experience .

Talk to your local EDC, or the tournament organizer committee. You’ll learn.

[Anonymous]

It also has to do with blocking rooms in advance of the tournament to ensure there are enough rooms for visiting teams. Tournament organizers use the travel agent to handle that coordination with the various hotels in the area. This comes in handy if there are other large events going on in the city at the sametime since most tournaments happen over holiday weekends. We have participated in tournaments where not all the players stayed in one of the hotels and never had an issue. Check with your club if they have to provide confirmation numbers.

[Anonymous]

The host club, the travel agency, and the tournament management company (if there is one) get a cut of each hotel room booked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The host club, the travel agency, and the tournament management company (if there is one) get a cut of each hotel room booked.

Unless the travel agent is splitting commissions, they are the only ones making money on the rooms. I don't see hilton and Marriott giving a kickback to the club because they are booking rooms. Hotels always give discount rates to large groups. If the rate is higher than what you find on your own, it's because the agent added in their own booking fee to make more money. Hotels don't give monetary kickbacks, they may provide a free room or two for the tournament organizer but not a cut of the room rate.

[Anonymous]

Gymnastics already does this. You pay apx. $100 per meet in registration fees, plus close to that in coach fees, plus hotel and then they charge you $20 PP to enter the facility to watch your kid compete. See! It can always get worse 🤣

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FYI - Basketball tournament we have been to require reservation # when you check in the player or you can't check them in = can't play.

Please don't give them any ideas on how to make this even worse. That is insane, if the fees for the tournaments are not high enough to cover the costs they should increase those. Next they are going to be charging entrance fees for you to watch your kid play soccer at the tournament your team paid an entrance fee for and that you paid twice as much for a hotel when you live down the street. Can't wait!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The host club, the travel agency, and the tournament management company (if there is one) get a cut of each hotel room booked.

Unless the travel agent is splitting commissions, they are the only ones making money on the rooms. I don't see hilton and Marriott giving a kickback to the club because they are booking rooms. Hotels always give discount rates to large groups. If the rate is higher than what you find on your own, it's because the agent added in their own booking fee to make more money. Hotels don't give monetary kickbacks, they may provide a free room or two for the tournament organizer but not a cut of the room rate.

Whether you see it or not, I assure you clubs are getting a kickback on each and every room booked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gymnastics already does this. You pay apx. $100 per meet in registration fees, plus close to that in coach fees, plus hotel and then they charge you $20 PP to enter the facility to watch your kid compete. See! It can always get worse 🤣

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FYI - Basketball tournament we have been to require reservation # when you check in the player or you can't check them in = can't play.

Please don't give them any ideas on how to make this even worse. That is insane, if the fees for the tournaments are not high enough to cover the costs they should increase those. Next they are going to be charging entrance fees for you to watch your kid play soccer at the tournament your team paid an entrance fee for and that you paid twice as much for a hotel when you live down the street. Can't wait!

😂😂😂 This is exactly what i was referring to. But i think our comp fees are closer to 150 with coaches fees. And entrance fees are 20-30. My daughter is a gymnast and now this travel soccer nonsense. We probably have 1 more year then she needs to choose between the two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Organizer gets kickback or free comp room do they give comp rooms to the clubs/ coaches.

They comp rooms to referees at larger tournaments where they need to pull from more than the local pool. You can't complain about Stay to Play and then also complain that there are not enough referees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Organizer gets kickback or free comp room do they give comp rooms to the clubs/ coaches.

They comp rooms to referees at larger tournaments where they need to pull from more than the local pool. You can't complain about Stay to Play and then also complain that there are not enough referees.

Yes you can. The cost of having referees should be included in the tournament entrance fees. Increase those if your costs exceed what you are charging. Local teams need the referees just as much as those traveling.

[Anonymous]

We've been doing travel soccer for close to 15 years between our children...i think we've stayed in the "team" hotel less than 5 times. We usually AirBnB or VBRO with other families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've been doing travel soccer for close to 15 years between our children...i think we've stayed in the "team" hotel less than 5 times. We usually AirBnB or VBRO with other families.

We do to. I hate having to eat at restaurants for every meal. We like to cook and hotel rooms don't give you that option. Hotel rooms are also just too confining and depressing for anything more than one night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We've been doing travel soccer for close to 15 years between our children...i think we've stayed in the "team" hotel less than 5 times. We usually AirBnB or VBRO with other families.

We do to. I hate having to eat at restaurants for every meal. We like to cook and hotel rooms don't give you that option. Hotel rooms are also just too confining and depressing for anything more than one night.

So what do you do when the tournament rules state
"Hotel Services
To ensure the quality of service provided at the event, a hospitality service has been established. All teams are mandated to book any hotel reservations through the hotel provider to ensure their place in the event. Any teams that do not comply will be at risk of forfeiting their acceptance. Local teams or teams “commuting” to tournament locations do not have to stay in hotels but must contact the hotel provider or Tournament Director for approval."

What happens if they actually enforce this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We've been doing travel soccer for close to 15 years between our children...i think we've stayed in the "team" hotel less than 5 times. We usually AirBnB or VBRO with other families.

We do to. I hate having to eat at restaurants for every meal. We like to cook and hotel rooms don't give you that option. Hotel rooms are also just too confining and depressing for anything more than one night.

So what do you do when the tournament rules state
"Hotel Services
To ensure the quality of service provided at the event, a hospitality service has been established. All teams are mandated to book any hotel reservations through the hotel provider to ensure their place in the event. Any teams that do not comply will be at risk of forfeiting their acceptance. Local teams or teams “commuting” to tournament locations do not have to stay in hotels but must contact the hotel provider or Tournament Director for approval."

What happens if they actually enforce this?

We have been fined by "a certain youth soccer league" a couple times. The team just split the cost of the fine and stayed where they wanted. One tournament they said we would be kicked out, not fined, so we booked the minimum number of rooms for one night. Some people were actually staying at the team hotel, so it was just the cost of a few rooms split between the rest. Worked out to about the same as paying the fine. Less than $100 apiece.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We've been doing travel soccer for close to 15 years between our children...i think we've stayed in the "team" hotel less than 5 times. We usually AirBnB or VBRO with other families.

We do to. I hate having to eat at restaurants for every meal. We like to cook and hotel rooms don't give you that option. Hotel rooms are also just too confining and depressing for anything more than one night.

So what do you do when the tournament rules state
"Hotel Services
To ensure the quality of service provided at the event, a hospitality service has been established. All teams are mandated to book any hotel reservations through the hotel provider to ensure their place in the event. Any teams that do not comply will be at risk of forfeiting their acceptance. Local teams or teams “commuting” to tournament locations do not have to stay in hotels but must contact the hotel provider or Tournament Director for approval."

What happens if they actually enforce this?

We have been fined by "a certain youth soccer league" a couple times. The team just split the cost of the fine and stayed where they wanted. One tournament they said we would be kicked out, not fined, so we booked the minimum number of rooms for one night. Some people were actually staying at the team hotel, so it was just the cost of a few rooms split between the rest. Worked out to about the same as paying the fine. Less than $100 apiece.

I assume this is a conscious group decision made by the families on the team? The club is passing along the info that we just need to comply.