Stay to Play: Multi-level Stakeholders and Motivation in Youth Sports Tourism

Authors

Brumby McLeod, Ph.D., College of CharlestonFollow
John Grady, Ph.D., University of South CarolinaFollow

Abstract

In this study, the stay to play model of hosting elite youth sports events was investigated by exploring the various stakeholder perspectives in staging youth sport events, specifically soccer. This research explored the motivations and gaps among the event organizers, the housing authorities (booking agencies), governing bodies and leagues, as well as the destination marketing organization. This study explored the relationship, unique value proposition, and gaps between the services provided by the stay to play organizers and participants. By exploring these concepts, a better understanding of the stay to play model is achieved, and destination marketers and management associations can make better strategic decisions. This study utilized a prominent national youth soccer league championship tournament to examine the dynamics of the stay to play phenomenon. In-depth interviews with multiple stakeholders at the culminating national event helped inform the motivations for the stay to play model currently utilized in elite youth sports and shed light on how stay to play has become such a dominant model in elite club sports. Recommendations for sport and hospitality providers are forwarded based on the findings of the study.

Keywords

Youth sports, Sport tourism, Destination management organizations, Sport Management, Tournament Operations, Hospitality management

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

McLeod, Ph.D., Brumby and Grady, Ph.D., John (2025) "Stay to Play: Multi-level Stakeholders and Motivation in Youth Sports Tourism," Proceedings of the Recreation Experience Community Network Research Symposium: Vol. 1: Iss. 1, Article 6.
Available at: https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/recnet_proceedings/vol1/iss1/6