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Soccer games give assist to economy Rogue Valley Cup visitors will spend about $2 million By David Preszler If your favorite pizza place or fast-food joint is packed this weekend, just smile at the crowd and say thank you. Thousands of soccer players � and their families � will pump an estimated $2 million into the local economy while in town for this weekend�s annual Rogue Valley Cup soccer tournament. Games begin this morning and run through Monday. "We�re hoping for an invasion," said Rich Harvey, owner of Medford�s two Stuft Pizza restaurants. "We staff extra. They don�t come in one at a time. They come in a team at a time." To cater to the soccer crowd, Stuft even will deliver to the fields, if requested. "We deliver wherever they need it," Harvey said. "They are a huge part of the local economy for the Memorial Day weekend." About 3,000 players will suit up for this weekend�s 352 games in Medford. Organizers estimate the players will bring along 7,000 parents and siblings. As many as 2,000 other spectators also are expected. And for three nights and three days, they�ll spend. "The average family is spending $200 a day minimum," said tournament director Michael Dunn. Over three days, that�s $600 per family. With about 3,000 families, the total comes to $1.8 million. They spend money on gas, food, hotel rooms, movies, rafting, golf and shopping. Last year, Dunn said two families even purchased new Chevrolet Suburbans while they were here. With four- to six-hour gaps between games, families have plenty of time to drop some coin. "The moms say, �I�m taking the little guys to the mall,� and the dads say, �I�ve got the (golf) clubs in the back, I�m going for to Stewart Meadows for nine holes,� " says Dunn. Three-quarters of the participants come from at least four hours away, so they add new money to the economy. Area restaurants, hotels and others businesses angle for their share of it, running deals aimed at the visitors. The swarm of soccer families has filled many Rogue Valley hotels. For the past four years, Dunn said two to six teams even stayed in Yreka, Calif., and made the trip over the Siskiyous each day for the tournament. "There�s not a two-queen-bed room to be found tonight in Medford,�� said Ken Ebert, manager of the Best Western Pony Soldier Inn on Crater Lake Highway. "It�s kind of fun," Margaret Knight, sales director at the Reston Hotel and Convention Center, said Friday. "We are expecting a huge check-in tonight. The Cup has been very good to us." Knight said the Reston has been sold out for weeks and has been forced to turn away some seeking rooms. While other weekends can be equally busy, Knight said the annual tournament clearly kicks off the summer tourist season. While the tournament boon is nice, Ebert said many hotels would be full for the holiday weekend anyway. In fact, the tournament adds some challenges � for example, clustering rooms of players together so they don�t disturb other guests. The tournament itself brings in around $85,000 a year through entry fees. The $20,000 to $25,000 left after expenses are paid goes toward next year�s event and to support area youth soccer programs. For each of the past four years, the event has averaged 150 teams. Dunn said 218 teams were turned away this year, either because their brackets were full or they didn�t met competitive sanctioning requirements. He said the tournament is poised to grow, if accommodations for more teams can be found. "Our Achilles� heel is still the hotels and motels," he said, noting that Medford, Ashland and Grants Pass are all generally booked for the weekend between the tournament and other holiday events. "The poor soul that comes from Seattle headed to Los Angeles this weekend is going to have to stay in either Yreka or Roseburg." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA