What's the next step in the Lake of the Ozarks' growth as a premier destination for visitors? The Lake of the Ozarks Convention Visitor Bureau (CVB) and Tri County Lodging Association (TCLA) are looking for new ways to answer that question.
Some options that have been discussed include an ad campaign, building a convention center or building a sports complex. The feasibility of a “destination tournament sports complex” was discussed recently at two August meetings. The wheels behind such an idea began turning in 2016 when the results of a feasibility study showed a sports complex would likely be successful at the Lake. The CVB and TCLA invested $40,000 in the study completed by Convention & Sports Leisure (CSL). And to the surprise of some, it showed there was a demand for “rectangles,” or fields that cater to sports played on rectangular fields, like soccer.
But do enough people at the Lake play soccer, to support such a complex? While similar complexes in urban areas are used by the surrounding community, this type of facility would be targeted to urban soccer families who want to travel to tournaments in interesting locations. While the fields could obviously be used by the local community, the local community would not be the audience generating the revenue.
Why soccer? The CVB points to soccer families and culture as a good target demographic, and the spring/fall soccer season would complement the summer boating season, helping bring more visitors to the Lake area for more of the year. To pursue the idea further, the CVB, TCLA and City of Camdenton hired XO Strategic to look further in depth into whether the Lake could support and benefit from the opportunities a destination tournament soccer complex would bring to the area.
SOCCER SEASON
Shane Hackett, Executive Director of the Heartland Soccer Association and partner of XO Strategic, addressed community questions at two public meetings in August. Soccer season spans August 1 to December 1 and then again March 1 until just after Memorial Day, Hackett explained. This “shoulder season” is a prime time to accommodate visitors at the Lake of the Ozarks, he said, because room nights are not completely booked, but there are plenty of activities to enjoy.
TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE
Hackett says travel tournaments are a key component to the training and development of most league soccer players. Within the recreational soccer world, traveling isn’t just for the pro teams; players of all skill levels attend traveling tournaments to make for a fun social season. According to Hackett, these kids typically play only one game day, which gives the families the rest of the day to explore the area. Because of this structure, teams look for a new, unique place to hold their tournaments where families can plan a mini-vacation around their kids’ sports. A similar complex built in Overland Park, Kan. has brought between $1.3 - 4 million dollars into the area for weekend tournaments, according to the Heartland Soccer Association. Similar tournament complexes bring travelers from a 12-16 states and a majority of these families drive to the events.
THE FAMILIES
But it’s not just the season and the tournaments that make the soccer tournament world appealing to local business owners, it’s the kids who play and families who watch them. In the 1980s approximately 75 percent of Lake of the Ozarks visitors were families. That is down to 20 percent now. As the Lake of the Ozarks' reputation as a party spot has grown, the CVB believes the economic stability of the area would benefit from a better balance of family visitors along with singles visiting for the party scene. Creating more opportunities for families at the Lake is on way to achieve that balance.
NEXT STEPS
It’s clear that destination tournament soccer complexes have been beneficial for tourism in some areas, but would it be beneficial to the Lake of the Ozarks? That is exactly what XO Strategic is trying to determine during this 90-day assessment period. The team has over 100 years of experience in developing and maintaining soccer fields and has designed and created five similar complexes from start to finish. One of their complexes, located in Grand Park Westfield, Ind., brings in an estimated $140 million dollars a year to the area. President and Partner of XO Strategic, Greg Cotton, spoke at the meeting saying, “We are not here to be cheerleaders of this complex.” Their purpose is to deliver a report indicating whether they believe it would be financially beneficial for the area to move forward with the project. During the assessment period they will address financial feasibility, identify potential private and public investors, as well as the operational and legal challenges involved.
LOCATION
Obviously the location of such a complex is crucial to its success and its ability to bolster the local economy. XO Strategies said they will remain “site neutral” and look for multiple potential sites that meet the requirements. Specifically, they are looking for areas with 25-40 acres of land that can be parsed into level, two-acre pads for fields. As of August 21, there were six inquires from land owners for their sites to be assessed as possible locations. Another important characteristic of complexes built by XO Strategies is that they have synthetic turf which facilitates drainage and increases the amount of time kids can play on the fields. Synthetic turf allows play even during rain, without risking damage to the field. All fields are designed to be multi-sport so that the community can use them for other sports like lacrosse or flag football. The Heartlands Soccer Association also implemented a “Stay & Play” policy where tournament-goers book rooms through the tournament site for a discounted rate. Local lodging facilities would be able to choose whether or not they wanted to participate in offering rooms based on their occupancy demands.
QUESTIONS
While the August public meetings were filled with excitement about the possibility of a destination tournament soccer complex at the Lake, there were also a number of questions.
1. Are there enough hotel, motel, resort rooms to accommodate these families? Executive Director of CVB, Tim Jacobsen, says yes. A typical tournament weekend could use 4,000 rooms. The current room capacity at the Lake is 5,000, leaving about 1,000 to accommodate spring and fall visitors and fishing groups. Furthermore, CVB’s Director of Group Sales reported she sees a lot of interest from sports groups wanting to visit the Lake and they are usually turned away because of a lack of playing facilities, not a lack of rooms. Jacobsen also noted even during busy events the large influx of visitors doesn't necessarily translate to hotel/motel rooms, as second home owners account for many visitors. One exception would be Memorial and Labor Day Weekend, which brings many one-time or infrequent visitors to the Lake. But many soccer leagues don’t play tournaments during those weekends as they become more sensitive to the importance of family holiday time.
2. Will this soccer families want to stay at non-chain hotels the Lake of the Ozark has to offer?
One parent expressed concern that we don’t have enough chain hotels. Search demand is for family resorts.
3. Will there be enough activities for visitors during the “shoulder season” at the Lake?
Some businesses at the Lake do close during the shoulder season, so local businesses will would have to assess whether they want to stay open to accommodate the new audience. Jacobsen says that many business owners, like Big Surf, do not want to close early and would considered extending their season if there was a demand for it.
4. Have any of the other XO Strategies soccer complexes?
The five XO Strategies complexes have all been successful. They have heard of a few facilities failing when they were run by municipalities rather than a professional operator.
5. How is this different from other ideas that have not yet been finished, like Ballpark of the Ozarks?
XO Strategies was not familiar with Ballpark of the Ozarks and the reasons they are not up and running after failing to open as scheduled in 2016. They believe three crucial aspects to the success of the project are: secure a combination of private and public funding, hire a professional management company and building for a sport (soccer) with growing popularity.
