The Manteca economy gets a big kick start every time the Manteca Futbol Club hosts a major soccer tournament.The last big event – the Spring Invitational April 27-28 – drew 184 teams from California, 12 from Nevada, one from Idaho and one from North Dakota. They played on 27 fields with the main fields being at Woodward Park.When all is said and done, the 6,000 daily visitors to Manteca helped pump up the Manetas economy by a conservative $900,000.That’s the conclusion City Manger Karen McLaughlin came up with after researching the impact of recreation sports tourism on Manteca. Actually, the state uses a much higher per day expenditure for such tourism - $150 - than the $75 McLaughlin used for tabulating the money spent per person on lodging, food, gas, and other sales in stores and at venues such as the Manteca Strikezone bowling alley.It was part of a report Councilman Vince Hernandez requested to see what positive economic impacts the soccer tournaments that the organization stages have on the Manteca economy.Manteca has made a major effort to secure tourism dollars connected with recreation pursuits such as through Bass Pro Shops, Big League Dreams, Speckels BMX Park, and soccer.
KIDS PLAY PAYS
Soccer pumps $900K into Manteca economy