Posted: Jan 18, 2013 8:15 PM by Sam Salzwedel
Updated: Jan 18, 2013 9:43 PM
TUCSON - The 23rd Tucson Association of Realtors Shootout started Friday night.
Fort Lowell Park is the soccer tournament's headquarters, but games are played on 45 fields across town.
Teams will travel from all over the Southwest, including a team from Mexico. They are expected to bring $3.1 million dollars to the local economy.
For the 2nd year in a row, The Lady Bobcats are visiting from New Mexico and booking about 15 hotel rooms through the weekend.
"We usually hit El Paso a lot, and in New Mexico and here," team coach, Daniel Lopez, said. "This is the best one."
The tournament will generate about 2,100 hotel room nights, according to organizers. Many of the guests will stay at the Viscount Suite Hotel. The manager, Grace Guillen, compares it to a short Gem Show.
"It's pretty crazy," Guillen said. "Our breakfast is going to be very busy. It just stays pretty crazy until Sunday at checkout."
The shootout's success is largely because of organizers' hard work. Jim Marian has been helping more than 20 years.
"It's just such a high energy event," Marian said, "and I love seeing families just have a great time together. And then the icing on the cake, they're involved with sports and soccer."
Comments