Dothan sports fields have economic impact

Dothan Leisure Services Director Elston Jones has heard it before.

“Why do we need another ball field?”

A coach best answered that question recently.

“Because we would rather have our kids steal bases than cars,” Jones repeats.

Community fields, recreation centers, playgrounds and seasonal programs exist as a quality of life component and is one reason both young families and retirees make their homes in Dothan. Parks are an amenity that give residents a constructive outlet for their energies. And today, organized sporting events are sports tourism – a new form of economic development that allows businesses to grow, and brings tourist dollars to the city.

Comparing Dothan’s facilities

Forty-seven tennis courts, 31 baseball/softball fields, 19 parks, seven recreation centers, four soccer fields .... The list of Dothan Leisure Services facilities trails on and on and is ever-expanding.

Earlier this year, city officials voted to spend $6.5 million on park improvements, primarily in the form of additional ball fields, and $1.65 million to acquire 87 acres of land to establish a new park in southwest Dothan.

Dothan Leisure Services is one of the city’s larger departments with 62 full-time employees, 21 part-time and 160 seasonal workers. The department operates on a $6.85 million budget.

Is this too much for a town the size of Dothan?

Not when you compare Dothan with the city closest to its size. In Alabama, Decatur is most like Dothan in population and demographics. Dothan’s 2007 estimated population is 65,447; Decatur’s is 55,741.

Decatur parks and rec has 70 full-time and 75 part-time and 300 seasonal employees, and an operating budget that nearly doubles that of Dothan, at $11.5 million.

In a side-by-side comparison, the two cities are evenly balanced in several areas. Dothan has five more tennis courts than Decatur and three of Dothan’s may soon become a roller hockey arena. Both cities have 31 baseball/softball fields.

The largest inequity is in soccer fields. Dothan has four fields with two more under construction; Decatur has 33 – 17 of which are international fields. Decatur also out-paces Dothan in the number of playgrounds, picnic pavilions, total parks, walking trails and total acreage. Dothan has more recreation centers and swimming pools while Decatur has a large harbor and lake. Decatur’s parks department also maintains a historic bank and the city cemetery.

In Dothan there is one acre of park land for every 92 residents, compared to one acre per 55 Decatur residents.

Dothan has one tennis court for every 1,392 residents; Decatur has one for every 1,327 people. Dothan has one ball field per 2,111 people; Decatur, one for every 1,798 people.

In Dothan, there is one rec center for every 9,349 people; in Decatur there is one for every 13,935 people. Dothan has one soccer field for every 16,361 people. Decatur has one for every 1,689 people.

The Eagle also looked at Auburn, which has a population of 54,348. The city has 1,914 acres of parks; 40 tennis courts; 28 baseball/softball fields; 11 soccer fields plus two other multi-purpose fields that can be used for soccer; 11 parks; three rec centers; two swimming pools; six walking trails and 32 miles of bike paths.

The value of play

Unlike fire and police protection, utilities and public works, recreation can be viewed as a luxury, not a necessity. No one needs a soccer field. Or, do they?

“I try to tell people there is more to it than that,” Jones said. “Leisure Services invites people to Dothan. You can go to Water World on weekends and look at license plates. It gives you an outlet and something to do when you get off work.”

And it helps shape the next generation of adults. “Sports teaches discipline,” Jones said. “You have to do a certain thing at a certain time” as a team and in a uniform.

Rich Thorne, president of the Dothan Youth Soccer Association, doesn’t underestimate the value of recreation activities in a city.

“As far as I am concerned, (team sports and recreational activities) are of the utmost importance. It gives kids an outlet – something they can do that’s constructive.”

Having lived in various places, primarily on military bases, Thorne recognized that Dothan has great facilities.

“We have one of the better cities for recreation. The programs available here, we are in the top because of the variety of facilities and the locations,” he said. “A lot of parks are way out in other cities, nowhere near the main artery of town. You go to their facilities and they are nowhere near restaurants or any stores. That’s a big benefit to us, Westgate is in the middle of everything.”

Play also has great value for those athletes and their families who elevate their skills to such a level that they can obtain college scholarships.

“The club system gives kids an opportunity to build on that skill. As far as recreation, club programs helps the kids decide what sport they want to get into, grow, and take it to the next level.”

Roughly two dozen students who have played Dothan Youth Soccer Association club soccer have gone to college on full scholarships. Approximately 450 kids take part in DYSA soccer each year. As such, they travel to Auburn, Thomasville, Ga., Savannah, Ga., Atlanta, Pensacola, Fla., Panama City, Fla., and various other areas for tournaments.

Economic impact

Officials at the Dothan Area Convention & Visitors Bureau know parks have great value from a tourism standpoint. Tourism officials estimate a youth coming to Dothan for a sporting event will spend $50 per day in food, transportation, and hotel costs. Then figure the number of people who may accompany the child.

After any large event, the CVB gets attendance figures from the city and applies multiplying factors to estimate economic impact. Based on their formula, the CVB estimates the total economic and tax impact of all leisure service functions in 2007 at $2.85 million. Applying a 2.5 multiplier – the number of times the money turns over – brings the total to $7.08 million.

CVB Sales Director Harriet Kilcrease said some cities use a multiplier of four because every hotel, restaurant, gas station and retail store returns monies spent to various local vendors, who pay their suppliers, employees, who buy gas, and so goes the ripple effect.

“That is new money that comes to town,” CVB Director Bob Hendrix said. “That money turns over at least two-and-a-half times. The larger the city, the larger the multiplier. If we don’t do these events and tournaments, somebody else will.”

With gas and food prices what they are and families feeling the pinch, many times that summer sporting event trip becomes more than just a couple of ball games.

“Families are taking vacations through their children’s sports,” Hendrix said. “Today there is travel baseball, travel soccer, travel volleyball. The players are going somewhere. Why not go to Dothan?”

Decatur CVB president Tami Reist said marketing is essential to success.

“We don’t just build it and they come,” Reist said. “We build it and build relationships. Just because you have it, doesn’t mean it will get used.

“Our biggest thing we are selling is soccer fields, fishing venues and tennis tournaments,” she said. “Sports tourism is what is growing. You can call it leisure or whatever but parents will travel with their children.”

Reist said having a city council that understands is vital to the sports programs.

“The board understands it may cost $80,000 to bid on an event. I have worked in towns where they don’t get it. People say, ‘Playing fields are for the community.’ We have had to overcome that. We have to explain it to them that outside people will come in and use our facilities and spend their money in our community.”

The Decatur CVB actually books hotel rooms for all tournaments, making it easier to monitor sports tourism dollars. Reist said the city measures the rise in its retail tax base during special events.

Jones knows the more folks he can get to Dothan, the more exposure for the facilities. Tournaments and special events, like those made available by the recent construction of Miracle Field, beget other tournaments and special events.

“Tournaments are a plus for us,” Jones said. “We have become famous for hospitality. I have tons of people say compared to where they come from, we offer so much more. And I love what we are able to provide. And we provide those things at a low cost or at no cost. Taxpayers pick up the tab.”

And even without the give-the-kids-something-to-do factor, the quality of life and the economic development, leisure services is about fun.

“You have work and you have school. This is play,” Jones said.