Pasco County will end up writing a $90,000 check to support this year’s 11th Annual DICK’s Sporting Goods Lacrosse Tournament of Champions but, for the first time, county officials are reaching out to the community to help offset those costs and ensure that the popular tournament stays in Wesley Chapel.
Pasco has enlisted the help of the Greater Wesley Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) to find supporters of the event, which provides an estimated $3-million economic impact to the area’s restaurants, hotels and retailers, according to Ed Caum, the program director of Visit Pasco.
“We have (Florida Hospital Center Ice) opening (see page 42) and we will have an indoor sports complex coming, but we only have a finite amount of dollars,’’ says Caum. “We’ve kept the lacrosse tournament here on our own dime. We’re hoping to share that burden (going forward); it just makes more sense because (of how many local businesses benefit).”
The longest-running national tournament of its kind, put on by Colorado-based National Development Program (NDP) Lacrosse, the DICK’s tournament — scheduled every year for Thursday-Saturday, December 29-31— is going on its ninth year of being played at the Wesley Chapel District Park and nearby Wesley Chapel High. It previously was held at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, PA.
Last year’s event attracted 73 teams from 16 different states, including teams from New Tampa and the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association (WCAA) programs, although, in past years, the number of teams has been as high as 115.
The numbers were down 23 teams from 2014, due in part to a nearby lacrosse tournament at Bradenton’s renowned IMG Academy. “We need to win those teams back,’’ Caum says.
Pasco spent $100,000 on the tournament last year, and received $13,000 from the Florida Sports Foundation to help offset costs. Caum says the county is again asking the foundation for assistance.
“If we didn’t spend the tourism money the last 10 years, we would have lost the tournament,’’ he adds.
Last year was the last of a five-year NDP Lacrosse contract with Pasco County, but in May a new two-year deal, with an option for a third year, was announced. According to Hope Allen, the CEO of the WCCC, Pasco had to stave off challenges from other sites hoping to host the event.
“They approached us last year when the contract negotiations came up,” says Allen. “We were approached to step in and not let this amazing tournament leave the area, as there were other locations courting the event to host it. We realize the significant economic impact to a lot of our members, and wanted to see if we were able to help.”
Caum says NDP Lacrosse is adding a number of activities and events to the tournament, and the Holiday Inn Express on S.R. 56 is opening on Nov. 1, which will provide a new option for players and their families to stay closer to the event.
Although there are hotels on S.R. 54 itself that have been utilized in years past, Caum has said that as many as 60 percent of the rooms booked for the event have been in Hillsborough County (many in New Tampa). Wesley Chapel, however, is in the midst of a hotel boom, with plans for a Hyatt Place Wesley Chapel, Fairfield Inn & Suites and Hilton Garden Inn to be completed within the next three years.
“It’s going to make the drive time better for the families, so in that sense, it is very good for us,’’ Caum says. “According to industry (analysts), 15-30 minutes is all people want to drive. So, having hotels closer is excellent for us, not only for the bed tax but also the driving.”
Because so many of the DICK’s tournament participants turn the event into a Florida vacation, the growth in Wesley Chapel makes it imperative that those vacationers stay nearby and spend their money in our area.
“Within two years, that will make a major difference,’’ Caum says.
The success, and staying power, of the DICK’s tournament also plays a significant role in the success of another large, local lacrosse tournament — the Derek Pieper Memorial Cup, which was established in 2006, the year former WCAA player Derek Pieper was murdered.
The tournament is a qualifier for the DICK’s National Championship and drew 55 teams last year. This year’s Derek Pieper tourney is scheduled for the weekend of November 19-20 and will be played at the Wesley Chapel District Park.
For more information about the DICK’S Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions, visit NDPLacrosse.com. To learn more about the Derek Pieper Memorial Cup, visit WCAASPorts.org/derekpieper. For additional information about Pasco County Tourism, visit VisitPasco.com.
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