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Using Economic Impact Studies to Gain Support for Youth Sports from Local Businesses

Professional and collegiate athletic events are major tourist attractions, and, on a smaller scale, youth sport tournaments have similar effects on the communities that host them. According to Weiss and Hayashi (1996), youth sport participation in the United States is growing, especially in soccer. Sport tourism attracts first-time visitors, increases visitation during slow parts of the year, and improves the local economy in general. The economic impact of tournaments is well documented (Crompton & Lee, 2000; Yardley, MacDonald, & Clarke, 1990), and techniques for estimating economic impact have been devised and refined (Crompton, 1999; Vogelsong & Graefe, 2001). Despite the benefits, holding a sports event is a costly venture. An important value ofaccurately estimating the economic impact ofsports lies in the ability to use that knowledge to gain financial support for youth leagues from the host community. This article focuses on the process of preparing an inexpensive and manageable economic impact study, analyzing data, and presenting the findings in order to gain financial support from local businesses.