Ahead of the women’s and men’s NCAA College Cups in Cary, Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance executive director Scott Dupree addressed the wish that Cary could host college soccer’s championships every year.
soccer is basically taking over the market here these next couple of weekends with college cup which is basically the final four of college soccer women’s this weekend in the men’s next weekend and then an enormous youth tournament this weekend and next hosted by NCFC Youth. It’s going to be soccer all over the county and all corners for the next two weekends. How special is it to have both women’s and men’s college? It’s a big deal and it’s prestigious for Kerry. First of all in terms of caring and planning and preparations carry treats the college cut like it’s Super Bowl. I mean that’s how big it is and Carrie that’s how important it is to carry leadership from the mayor on down and um I’m elated and honored that the N. C double A. Has decided to make carry the first sight ever to host both college cups in the same city, same stadium on consecutive weekends. So it’s a tremendous honor but I’m not surprised. I mean carries hosted 16 college cups now this weekend The 17th and I believe care over that time Kerry has really established and cemented its reputation as the capital of collegiate soccer in the United States. I think first of all it’s the people and the service and the hospitality. I mean Kerry and its partners and in this instance it’s partners for this weekend or the UNC Chapel hill which is the official host and CFC youth in the greater rally sports alliance but led by the town of Cary. We really roll out the red carpet in terms of hospitality and above all else, the student athlete experience. And that’s why I know the N. C double A prioritizes that we prioritize it. So we’re on the same page and I think that’s a big plus and a major factor for the NC double A. And then beyond the hospitality and the student athlete experience. The big factors are, I think the support we get here from the community, the attendance Friday night, it’s going to be a complete sellout. Um, this the, the vibe, the excitement, the atmosphere around the game, the electricity and then also you can’t overlook the plane surface and for the coaches and the players, fans may not realize this, but for coaches and players, the plane surface means everything and they won’t find a better plane surface, a better pitch anywhere in America than they will hear and carry at Wakemed soccer park. You’re saying that, you know, we’re not there yet, but maybe one day down the line it would be nice to make this right. So we have talked about that for at least 10 years here, maybe longer about Kerry becoming what is essentially the Omaha Aw of college soccer in the way that, oh maha is the home of college baseball World Series, year after year. And you know, we have sort of essentially had that because we’ve hosted it 16 times over the last 20 years, but we’re what we’re looking for and what we’d like to do and what we’re talking with the NC double A about is making carry the permanent long term home of college soccer and we have a lot going in our favor. We’re constantly working with the N. C double A. Selling them on our attributes and our strengths and they agree with that and they see it as well. It’s just now a matter of coming to an agreement over the next year too. If we can sort of put it in writing for Kerry to be the permanent home and that is the goal I know for the town of Cary, for the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance and for many of our partners and I think it’s, you know, a well in my opinion it would be a well earned and well deserved goal. Absolutely. How special is it if you’re having back to back weeks, how special is it to have Carolina women? Right, well we have to plan for this event as if they’re going to be no local teams in it and then we always have to hope that a local team will, will be in it and this so far for the women’s event this weekend. We’re very fortunate to have UNC Here and the UNC Is gonna create lots of interest. Lots of um, ticket sales, especially, especially if the UNC Advances to monday night friday nights already sold out regardless. But it’s wonderful to have a local team here next week. Like you said, there’s a, there’s a chance to do that, can you and CG Are both still in it for the men. So again, we have to plan it for no local teams, but it’s always a nice bonus or a boost if there is a regional team that’s involved. Sure, well Friday night it’s gonna be, it’s gonna be packed, it’s gonna be overflowing. It’ll be standing room only seats 10,000. You know, the 10,000 tickets are sold. I imagine there’ll be somehow a few more than 10,000 in here just sort of jamming their way in. And it will be a great atmosphere and I’m really thrilled for the student athletes because this is, I mean this is the pinnacle for them and what we pride ourselves on in Cary is that when they show up to play for a national championship, they’re playing in front of a sold out stadium in a full house. And I don’t believe they get that everywhere anywhere else. The way they, the way they can depend on it and carry to play in front of a sell out. And again, we mentioned the importance of the field in the playing surface, but you cannot underestimate the importance of attendance and fans and excitement and the electricity and you just want it, it’s a national championship. So you want it to feel like a national championship and that’s what we deliver here in Kerry every time. The only thing I would add is, um, We get lots of questions about economic impact and that kind of thing for the College Cup. The economic impact is important. It’s, it’s roughly $500,000 and that’s not, that’s nothing to sneeze at ahead. But for the College Cup, in my opinion, this is more about branding and exposure and visibility for the town of Cary for this venue and for just further establishing Kerry is the home of collegiate soccer in the United States, separate from the College Cup, but linked closely to the College Cup is the youth tournaments in town this weekend, which is um, in CFC youth and it’s the girls college showcase. They’re going to be 552 teams here from around the probably about 30,000 total visitors here for the weekend that event generates is going to generate around $11 million of direct visitor spending. So we’ve sort of got the best of both worlds. We’ve got the College Cup, which is the national all three games on national television, the branding, the media exposure, establishing carry again as the college soccer capital. And then on the other hand, we’ve got the youth event which, and those youth are going to fill this stadium on Friday night, but the youth tournament is all for us, just in terms of a business sense, its economic impact and filling our hotels and restaurants with again, tens of thousands of people in town for girls youth soccer.
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