Soccer fever boosts local economy

Soccer fever is running high in the Tulsa metro area, from World Cup fans out watching the game to the Youth Soccer President's Cup in our very own backyard. This soccer tournament scored some big goals for local businesses.

Parents from across the country headed to Broken Arrow this weekend to watch their kids play in the soccer cup.
"We've been very impressed. We've had wonderful staff and volunteers, we have a beautiful complex, and they've been very helpful, made us feel very welcome," said Jeff McDonald, a parent of a soccer player. "They've provided wonderful venues for competition."

Teams and their parents packed hotels in Broken Arrow and Tulsa for the games.
"We had three teams, and our sister property across the street, the Towne Place in Broken Arrow, had two teams as well," said Tyler Lamm, the GM of the Holiday Inn in Broken Arrow.

Hotel managers say they were happy to accomodate them.
"Youth sports as a whole are the key for the summer season for Tulsa," Lamm said. "The more these groups come in, they spend money at hotels, at restaurants, we get the sales tax. It's a win win for the metro of Tulsa."

The Holiday Inn in Broken Arrow welcomed a team of champions back after Sunday's game. Some of these girls spent 22 hours on a bus from Miami to get here. This team brought a total of 50 people to town.
"Several of the parents did some rental cars, so we were the gophers of the team. So whenever we had an emergency and needed to go to Walmart or one of the places, we were the ones to go," said Candice Villar, one of the parents.

Soccer fans ate out and visited local shops, bringing a boost to the local economy.
"Even the businesses would talk to us and tell us that the other teams were in, so I know that they were impacted with the abundance of teams, throughout the city," Villar said.

This Miami soccer team is heading to Tennessee next for National Championships. But they've left their mark here in the Tulsa area. Officials estimate the 120 soccer teams bring anywhere from two to three million dollars to the metro area.