WHAT???? I HAVE NEVER IN MY LIFE!!!!

Gate fee for the Hot Times in Florence, Sc. Have you ever paid this much to get in?


GATE FEES SET FOR THIS TOURNAMENT BY THE COMPLEX IS:

DAY PASS ADULT --- $9.00 DAY
DAY PASS YOUTH ---- $7.00 DAY
UNDER 7 YEARS OLD -- FREE

4 DAY TOURNAMENT PASS ADULT --- $30.00
4 DAY TOURNAMENT PASS YOUTH ---$20.00
YOUTH UNDER 7 YEARS OLD TOURNAMENT PASS --- FREE

 

Greed, Greed, Greed!!! I agree that kind of gate fee is ridiculous. Tournament directors are getting so greedy. The fellow at a hotel we stayed at last year told us that NSA directors make $5 off of every hotel room. That is why you have to fill out those hotel forms telling them where you are staying.

 

Maybe the $ will be spent.....

....on a security guard. lol

 

Whoever told you that NSA directors make $5 off every hotel room is so full of

 

The gate fee is set by the PARKS Dept at Florence. I dont think the tournament folks get anything but that would depend on their contract with the town.
The worst part is that they, Freedom FDlorence, no longer supply water collers in the dugouts. Park and Rec say that there is a water fountian in each dugout but they may or may not work. You can bring in ONE team cooler that will be tagged, but if yoou drag in an igloo with water is does not count as the tagged cooler. At least the Bandits are giving four coach passes in stead of the normal three, and Ken had to fight the town on that.
I was told to complain to the Park on site Admin, His name is Coleman Elliot.
(yes that Coleman Elliot). about the water situation.
And yes I have seen a higher gate fee It was $10 per person on top of a $3.00 parking fee at Walnut creek for the HS State championships.
And the field conditions were the worst I have seen at any venue this year.

 

Compare this with the Hawaiian Tropic ASA Tournament in Myrtle Beach in two weeks. No admission. Nada. (of course, the sites' layouts do make it rather hard to collect any)

Normally, I end up paying $10 to $15 per weekend, per adult.

 

I don't know for sure, but I believe the City of Florence Parks & Rec. Dept. is in charge of the gate at this tournament. If so, the fees would be set by them and not Ken Bailey, the tournament director. If Ken's people are working the gate, I'm sure Ken has kept the fees as low as possible, but he still would need to cover his costs (which most likely went up). I do know that in places like Cherry Park and Walnut Creek, the parks and rec. dept.s work the gate and set the fees.

As for hotel rooms, sometimes a tournament director may get a a couple of "comp" rooms for umpires if a certain number of rooms are booked from teams. But I have never heard of ANY hotel giving a monetary kickback.

I realize tournament directors make money from tournaments, but it is not as much as most would think. The costs to run tournaments include park rental fees, umpires ($60 per game), umpire hotel rooms, balls, insurance, and other misc. expenses. Plus until you have set up and run a tournament, you really can't appreciate all the time and planning it takes before the first pitch is ever thrown.

I also think the reason the NSA guys ask about the number hotel rooms booked by teams is, so when next year the parks & Rec. dept.s want to go up on their park rental fees, the tournament directors will have something to fight back with. Softball people DO spend a lot of money in and around the parks and sometimes the parks & rec. folks need reminding of that fact.

If the park fees go up, most likely so will the tournament fees teams will have to pay. I know in other areas of the country, many local tournaments cost at least $350-400 and the larger showcase ones are now over $700!!!
Ouch.

 

Very well said.

 

I'd look good with a...

...badge...
Oh forgot, can't go, my truck is still in the shop from the last time out.

 

as info..... not always true

I know for a fact, when PONY held the 16U and 18U National championships in Raleigh and Cary back 4 years ago, they got $5.00 a night for every room rented... You were required to stay in " official" hotels....

check out this for numbers

170 16u teams, average stay 6 nights, average roster 12 families...
140 18U teams, ditto

310 teams renting average 12 room each, 6 nights.... $5.00 kicked back per room night....

$116,000.00 dollars......

Nice part time job,,,