Market Research:

Wisconsin Rapids
Kickers
Data and Analysis
Sachs, Nicholas W


1
Contents
Research Objective: .................................................................................................................................. 3
Sample Plan Summarized:......................................................................................................................... 3
Summary of Conclusions: .......................................................................................................................... 3
Summary of Recommendations: .............................................................................................................. 4
Limitations ................................................................................................................................................ 5
Sampling Plan ............................................................................................................................................ 5
Focus Groups............................................................................................................................................. 6
Team Information ..................................................................................................................................... 7
Competitive Soccer v. Rec League ...................................................................................................... 7
Comparable Areas Tournament Options ................................................................................................. 8
Tournament Enhancers ............................................................................................................................. 8
Existing Soccer Surveys ............................................................................................................................. 8
Question One: ........................................................................................................................................... 9
Question One: What state is your team from? ........................................................................ 10
Question Two: ......................................................................................................................................... 11
Question Two: ......................................................................................................................................... 12
Question Three: Does travel play a factor in which tournaments your club
participates? ...................................................................................................................................... 13
................................................................................................................................................................ 13
Question Three: Does travel play a factor in which tournaments your club
participates? ...................................................................................................................................... 14
Question Three-A: ................................................................................................................................... 15
Question Three-A: If travel is a concern, what are the factors that are most important
to your club (please check all that apply) ................................................................................ 16
Question Five: ......................................................................................................................................... 19
Question Five: ......................................................................................................................................... 20
Question Six: ........................................................................................................................................... 21
Question Six: ........................................................................................................................................... 22
Seven-A: Please check the appropriate ranking of importance the foll owing factors have
when decidi ng what tournaments your cl ub wi ll parti cipate in (as pertaini ng to
TOURNAMENT ORGANIZATION). ................................................................................................... 23

2
Seven-A: Please check the appropriate ranking of importance the foll owing factors have
when decidi ng what tournaments your cl ub wi ll parti cipate in (as pertaini ng to
TOURNAMENT ORGANIZATION). ................................................................................................... 26
Question Seven-B: ................................................................................................................................... 27
Question Seven-B: ................................................................................................................................... 30
Question Seven-C: Please check the appropriate ranking of importance the foll owing
factors have when deci ding what tournaments your cl ub wil l parti cipate in (as
pertaini ng to EVENT ATTRIBUTES). .............................................................................................. 31
Question Seven-C: ................................................................................................................................... 38
Question Eight-A: What is your cl ubs most preferred champi onship award to receive at a
tournament? (Please check one) ................................................................................................. 39
Question Eight-B: .................................................................................................................................... 40
Question Eight-A: .................................................................................................................................... 41
Question Eight-B: .................................................................................................................................... 41
Question Nine-A: Have you ever attended a Wisconsi n Rapids Ki ckers tournament in
Wisconsi n Rapids, Wisconsin? ....................................................................................................... 42
Question 9-B: .......................................................................................................................................... 43
Question Nine-A: ..................................................................................................................................... 48
Question 9-B: .......................................................................................................................................... 48
Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................. 51
Recommendation one: ........................................................................................................................... 52
Letter to respondents: ............................................................................................................................... i
Postcard: ................................................................................................................................................... ii
Clean survey: ............................................................................................................................................ iii
Sample frame: ........................................................................................................................................... v
Cross-tabulation images: Cross-tabulation one ............................................................................... viii



3
Managerial Summary
Research Objective: Determine how competitive soccer clubs in the Midwest choose the
tournaments their clubs participate in by identifying specific positive and negative attributes of
Midwest competitive soccer tournaments through the use of Focus Groups, Surveys, and other
research techniques.
Attributes defined as:
Food/concessions
Awards/prizes
Events surrounding the tournament
Accommodations
Price/entrance fee
Location
Sample Plan Summarized: Listed below is each portion of the sample plan with a brief
synopsis.
Geographic standards: The clubs included were from Wisconsin, eastern Minnesota,
northern Illinois, and northern Iowa.
Demographic measures: Competitive soccer clubs that could conceivably take part in a
Kickers tournament.
Data Collection: Survey
o Either electronic or physical (via mail)
Sample Frame: 167 competitive soccer clubs
o Identified from usyouthsoccer.org
Physical surveys were mailed on October 29
th

o Follow-up postcard one week later
Summary of Conclusions: The conclusions reached after the data was reviewed are as follows:
Tournament organization is highly important
o Specifically tournament communication
Referee and field quality are attributes that require a high level of attention
Trophies are a highly desirable tournament award
Entrance fees are not as impactful as one may think
Wisconsin Rapids Kickers tournaments offer a positive experience
o Important to note this conclusion is based on small sample size


4
Summary of Recommendations: Below is a one sentence summary of each of the five
recommendations posed in this report.
The Wisconsin Rapids Kickers should offer trophies as their tournament awards
The Wisconsin Rapids Kickers should utilize strong tournament organizational practices,
particularly communication
The Wisconsin Rapids Kickers should expand their recruitment area
The Wisconsin Rapids Kickers should pay close attention to field and referee quality
The Wisconsin Rapids Kickers should increase their tournament entry fees



5
Background Investigation
The background investigation began with the formation of a research objective. In this case, the
research objective is as follows: Determine how competitive soccer clubs in the Midwest choose the
tournaments their clubs participate in by identifying specific positive and negative attributes of Midwest
competitive soccer tournaments through the use of focus groups, surveys, and other research
techniques. (For the purposes of the objective, attributes are defined as food/concessions,
rewards/prizes, events surrounding the tournament, accommodations, price/entrance fee, and location.)
From that point secondary research was conducted; including reviewing existing soccer surveys online,
discovering the differences between competitive and recreational soccer, researching relevant team
data, and comparing other tournaments statewide with those hosted by the Wisconsin Rapids Kickers.
Limitations
There are several notable limitations that need to be included for the sake of the reader. Those
limitations include:
Time frame involved: The market research will be conducted within the window of a semester
at Mid-State Technical College, which results in a firm timeline in terms of gathering and
interpreting data from respondents. It is also the soccer offseason, which may lead to less
respondents participating than what would be ideal.
Sample area: The survey was distributed fairly conservatively, although the reasoning behind
this was sound (it was only distributed to areas where travel to a Wisconsin Rapids Kickers
tournament would be deemed reasonable). The clubs targeted were distributed throughout
Wisconsin, in eastern Minnesota, northern Illinois, and northern Iowa.
Sample population: The number of clubs in the defined geographic area was 167, and with two
of the physical surveys showing up undeliverable there is currently a maximum respondent total
of 165.
Environment: The market research is being conducted in a learning environment by students on
their way to becoming marketing professionals.
Sampling Plan
The population of interest has already been touched upon in the limitations section above; however it
will be clearly defined here at the beginning of the sampling plan. Geographically speaking the soccer
clubs surveyed are in Wisconsin, eastern Minnesota, northern Illinois, and northern Iowa. In terms of
their demographic characteristics, they are competitive soccer clubs that would conceivably travel to a
Wisconsin Rapids Kickers soccer tournament. Any soccer clubs not meeting the above criteria (in terms
of location or being competitive vs. recreational) were excluded.
The method of data collection chosen for this research was to conduct a survey, available to
respondents in either physical form (with an addressed & stamped return envelope) or online. It was
exactly the same in either form. A survey was decided as the method of choice because it served as a

6
fairly unobtrusive method of data collection. Additionally, surveys are a popular and inexpensive choice
of data collection which, when properly utilized, offer results that are very valuable and highly usable.
The sample frame used for the purposes of this research was the 167 competitive soccer clubs
identified from usyouthsoccer.org. When possible, the survey was addressed directly to the club
representative listed. The sampling method to be used is a cluster sample, which is a type of probability
sample. Utilizing this method within the sample frame identified allows for a confidence interval of 95
percent.
The surveys were printed and sent out, along with a letter thanking the respondents and giving
deadline information, on October 29
th
. One week after the surveys were mailed, reminder postcards
were sent to all respondents (in an effort to keep the survey on their mind and maximize returns).
Focus Groups
The focus groups offer the inverse to the information being gathered by the surveys. While the surveys
are aimed at decision-makers within the respective clubs, the focus groups were comprised of student
athletes. This allowed for an entirely different perspective of likes and dislikes of athletic tournaments.
Likes
The focus groups responded positively to the following tournament attributes:
A chance to compete with friends
o Opportunity to socialize in between matches
Tournaments requiring an overnight stay in a hotel
Tournaments with a charity aspect
A wide variety of concessions
Awards such as medals and trophies were most preferred
Skill challenges in between matches
Events coinciding with tournaments
o Area attractions like shopping malls
Dislikes
The focus groups responded negatively to the following tournament attributes:
Overly competitive teams
o Negative fans of other teams
Poor officiating
Too much downtime between matches
Little or no concessions



7
Secondary Research
Team Information
Wisconsin Kickers is composed of various groups, which must be certified with the US Youth Soccer
Association league. The Rapids Kickers fall into the second region of the league with: Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio North, Ohio
South, and South Dakota.
There are thirteen Wisconsin Kickers is broken down into two groups: male and female. Groups are
further broken up into several segments, based on age. Each group is given the letter U meaning
under, and the age group for that bracket. For males there is the U: 10, 12, 14, 15 and 19 groups. For
females there is the U: 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 groups. For the 2013 year, there were twenty three teams
participating in the Wisconsin Rapids Kickers Tournament. Each division is advertised in the local
newspapers.
Competitive Soccer v. Rec League
What is the difference between competitive soccer and recreational soccer? There are four main
differences between them. These differences are cost, time commitment, skill level, and intensity. For
competitive soccer you will probably pay between $500 and $2,000, and for recreational soccer it would
be probably around $50 to $150. The time commitment with competitive soccer is much higher,
practices usually twice a week and they travel to some games; while with recreational soccer they
usually only practice once a week and all games and practices are held in your neighborhood.
Recreational soccer is open for players of all skill levels; whereas competitive soccer is just that-
competitive. Kids from each age group will be selected for the teams. Every team will have tryouts and
that gives the coaches a chance to see each player do their best. Usually tryouts are spread out over a
week or more to try and avoid scheduling conflicts, so that way all the interested kids have a chance to
attend the tryouts. The intensity of competitive soccer is very high. Competitive soccer is not a casual
sport, so everyone will not get a trophy (unlike in recreational soccer). The coaches, practices, and
games are more intense.
There are three divisions of soccer in the Wisconsin Rapids area. The three divisions include
competitive youth soccer, recreational soccer, and adult soccer. The competitive youth soccer started in
1985. This league is dedicated to promoting competitive soccer in the Wisconsin Rapids area. They
achieve this through a higher level of competition which involves league play and a number of various
tournaments which have a higher level of coaching techniques and practice time. Rapids Area Soccer,
Inc. (R.A.S.I.) is the parent soccer organization of Wisconsin Rapids and surrounding areas.




8
Comparable Areas Tournament Options
This year's tournament has a tag line; it's called Kickin' for a Cure. A donation will be given for goals
scored during the tournament. All donations will go to the Appleton Medical Center Foundation;
specifically the Martha Siekman Center supporting breast cancer.
Soccer tournaments are a big part of the youth soccer experience. For many soccer players,
tournament participation is the source of their fondest youth soccer memories. The Appleton Soccer
Club hosts three competitive soccer tournaments and one recreational tournament during the year. The
three competitive tournaments are Fox Cities Classic, Summer Shootout and the Oktoberfest
Tournament. The East Central Jamboree Recreational Tournament is run jointly with all other clubs in
the East Central District.
Appleton Soccer Club is excited to add a winter Futsal tournament to its schedule. This fast paced
game is played on a basketball court. ASC will be hosting this event at Players Choice in Appleton. We
reviewed 25 in-state tournaments (including all of the Kickers events on their site), and discovered 13
were two days and 12 were 3 days. All of the Kickers tournaments were two days, so more research
may be required to highlight whether there is an attendance difference coinciding with the extra day.
Tournament Enhancers
Coaching clinics
Tickets to local attractions
Lodging arrangements handled on the tournament end of things
Serve food to participants and their families
o Exotic/unusual concessions
T shirts
Gift bags
Movie tickets (for in-between matches if time permits)
Bouncing house/rides for younger siblings
o Circus/carnival?
DVD videos of each teams games
Existing Soccer Surveys
http://www.woodburysoccer.com/page/show/204483-survey-results
http://www.woodlandsoccer.org/survey/survey.php






9
Question Discussion
Question One: What state is your team from?










# Answer Bar Response %
1 IA 3 7.32%
2 IL 8 19.51%
3 MN 4 9.76%
4 WI 26 63.41%
Total 41 100.00%
Min
Value
Max
Value
Average
Value
Variance
Standard
Deviation
Total
Responses
Total
Respondents
1 4 3.29 1.06 1.03 41 41

10
Question One: What state is your team from?
This question is the most straightforward of all, and is included mainly for demographical purposes.
However, beyond measuring responses from each particular region included in the survey, the
responses can be used to determine whether or not any preferences of later questions have a regional
or geographical commonality that can be used to further analyze and segment the data received. In
terms of evaluating the amount sent out versus those received with respondent data, there were six
sent to Iowa clubs, 79 sent to Illinois clubs, 58 to Wisconsin clubs, and 24 to Minnesota clubs. This leads
to a respondent percentage of 50 percent for Iowa, 10 percent for Illinois, 45 percent for Wisconsin, and
17 percent for Minnesota.





















11
Question Two: How many tournaments has your club attended in the last year?











# Answer Bar Response %
1 1-2 2 4.88%
2 3-4 13 31.71%
3 5-6 14 34.15%
4 7-8 8 19.51%
5 9+ 4 9.76%
Total 41 100.00%
Min
Value
Max
Value
Average
Value
Variance
Standard
Deviation
Total
Responses
Total
Respondents
1 5 2.98 1.12 1.06 41 41

12
Question Two: How many tournaments has your club attended in the last year?
This question was incl uded i n the survey as an aid to those in charge of Kickers
tournament scheduli ng. It hi ghl ights how frequently clubs choose to partici pate in
tournaments, which showcases potential avail ability trends.























13
Question Three: Does travel play a factor in which tournaments your club
participates?




















# Answer Bar Response %
1 Yes 34 82.93%
2 No 7 17.07%
Total 41 100.00%
Min
Value
Max
Value
Average
Value
Variance
Standard
Deviation
Total
Responses
Total
Respondents
1 2 1.17 0.15 0.38 41 41

14
Question Three: Does travel play a factor in which tournaments your club
participates?
The purpose of this question is to discover just how much of a factor travel plays in the tournament
selection process for the decision makers targeted with this survey. Additionally, there are factors that
align with travel that impact decisions. The economic impact in terms of travel costs and fees plays a
larger part in these depressed times, and also the surrounding area plays a part. It is important to note
that should the respondent select Yes as their answer to this question, there is a follow-up asking
them to check any applicable factors that are important to their club in terms of travel concerns.





















15
Question Three-A: If travel is a concern, what are the factors that are most
important to your club (please check all that apply)



















# Answer Bar Response %
1 Cost 28 82.35%
2 Time 18 52.94%
3 Location 20 58.82%
4 Other 3 8.82%
Total 69 100.00%
Min
Value
Max
Value
Average
Value
Variance
Standard
Deviation
Total
Responses
Total
Respondents
1 4 1.97 0.88 0.94 69 34

16
Question Three-A: If travel is a concern, what are the factors that are most
important to your club (please check all that apply)
This question is included to help define the importance of factors that play into the decision making
process for those respondents concerned with travel. It appears as though the survey properly
identified the three most common specific factors that play a role in travel concerns, given that they
comprise 91.18 percent of the total responses for the question (with the fourth being the generic
answer other).






















17
Question Four: How far is your club willing to travel to participate in a
tournament?




















# Answer Bar Response %
1
20 miles or
less
1 2.56%
2 21 - 50 miles 1 2.56%
3 51-90 miles 4 10.26%
4 91-120 miles 33 84.62%
Total 39 100.00%
Min Value Max Value Average Value Variance
Standard
Deviation
Total
Responses
Total Respondents
1 4 3.77 0.39 0.63 39 39

18
Question Four: How far is your club willing to travel to participate in a
tournament?
This question is important as it helps to define a radius within which the Kickers can begin to target
clubs to invite to their tournaments. On the surface it appears as though distance does not factor much
into clubs tournament selections (84.62 percent willing to travel 91 miles or more).























19
Question Five: What is a reasonable cost to enter a team into a soccer
tournament?



















# Answer Bar Response %
1 $100-$250 2 5.00%
2 $251-$325 5 12.50%
3 $326-$425 11 27.50%
4 $425+ 22 55.00%
Total 40 100.00%
Min Value Max Value
Average
Value
Variance
Standard
Deviation
Total
Responses
Total
Respondents
1 4 3.33 0.79 0.89 40 40

20
Question Five: What is a reasonable cost to enter a team into a soccer
tournament?
It appears as though the figures included as answers may have been too low (resulting in respondent
data that will be inaccurately skewed high). This is one of the only instances where respondents
included personal commentary, in which two remarked to the effect that tournaments are a costly
endeavor and are often upwards of $500. However, after reviewing several websites (including
http://home.gotsoccer.com/events.aspx?fromdate=&viewa=&todate=&viewb=&eventname=&eventsta
te=WI&category=0 ) this may have been an incident in which Illinois has higher fees than Wisconsin
(both respondents who included personal notes were from Illinois).




















21
Question Six: How many of your tournaments require an overnight stay at a
hotel?



















# Answer Bar Response %
1 1-2 16 40.00%
2 3-4 14 35.00%
3 5-6 6 15.00%
4 7-8 3 7.50%
5 9+ 1 2.50%
Total 40 100.00%
Min Value
Max
Value
Average
Value
Variance
Standard
Deviation
Total
Responses
Total
Respondents
1 5 1.98 1.10 1.05 40 40

22
Question Six: How many of your tournaments require an overnight stay at a
hotel?
This question continues on the theme of travelling, and provides data as to how often clubs select
tournaments that require an overnight stay in a hotel. Forty percent of respondents have at least one or
two tournaments that require an overnight stay, which increases the size of the potential recruitment
area for the Wisconsin Rapids Kickers.






















23
Seven-A: Please check the appropriate ranking of importance the following
factors have when deciding what tournaments your club will participate in (as
pertaining to TOURNAMENT ORGANIZATION).







24









25

















# Question
Non-
factor
Very
unimportant
Somewhat
unimportant
Somewhat
important
Very
important
Response
Average
Value
1
Tournament
Communication
1 - 1 6 32 40 4.70
2
Score Displays/
Results
2 - 3 5 30 40 4.53
3
Website
Information
1 - 1 11 27 40 4.58
4
Registration
Check-In
Progress
1 - - 13 26 40 4.58
Statistic
Tournament
Communication
Score
Displays/
Results
Website
Information
Registration
Check-In
Progress
Min Value 1 1 1 1
Max Value 5 5 5 5
Mean 4.7 4.53 4.58 4.58
Variance 0.57 1.03 0.61 0.56
Standard
Deviation
0.76 1.01 0.78 0.75
Total Responses 40 40 40 40
Total
Respondents
40 40 40 40

26
Seven-A: Please check the appropriate ranking of importance the following
factors have when deciding what tournaments your club will participate in (as
pertaining to TOURNAMENT ORGANIZATION).
The purpose of the multi-faceted question seven is to discover the tournament traits that are most
important to club decision makers. The first portion of question seven are traits that were all related to
tournament organization, and the data received from the respondents will allow for factual ranking of
how they are prioritized. The vast majority (minimum response percentage of 87.5 percent) rate the
factors of seven-A at least somewhat important.





















27
Question Seven-B: Please check the appropriate ranking of importance the
following factors have when deciding what tournaments your club will
participate in (as pertaining to LOCATION FACTORS).






28







# Question
Non-
factor
Very
unimportant
Somewhat
unimportant
Somewhat
important
Very
important
Response
Average
Value
1
Accommodation
Availability
- 3 2 22 13 40 4.13
2
Access To
Shopping And
Entertainment
9 6 13 10 2 40 2.75
3 Restaurants 5 2 18 11 4 40 3.18

29

























Statistic
Accommodation
Availability
Access To
Shopping And
Entertainment
Restaurants
Min Value 2 1 1
Max Value 5 5 5
Mean 4.13 2.75 3.18
Variance 0.68 1.47 1.23
Standard
Deviation
0.82 1.21 1.11
Total Responses 40 40 40
Total
Respondents
40 40 40

30
Question Seven-B: Please check the appropriate ranking of importance the
following factors have when deciding what tournaments your club will
participate in (as pertaining to LOCATION FACTORS).
The middle portion of question seven seeks to define how much of a role location factors play in
tournament selection, with three primary traits (accommodations, shopping and entertainment, and
restaurants) being identified as relevant to this particular facet. Accommodations are the only factor
that is a strong influence, as it has an 87.5 percent rating of at least somewhat important or higher.
Conversely, by the same measure, shopping is at 30 percent and restaurants 37.5 percent, with both
garnering choices as a non-factor (22.5 percent for shopping, 12.5 percent for restaurants) while
accommodations received none (as a non-factor).



















31
Question Seven-C: Please check the appropriate ranking of importance the
following factors have when deciding what tournaments your club will
participate in (as pertaining to EVENT ATTRIBUTES).







32









33









34









35









36









37




# Question
Non-
factor
Very
unimportant
Somewhat
unimportant
Somewhat
important
Very
important
Response
Average
Value
1 Concessions 3 3 1 17 16 40 4.00
2 Merchandise 3 5 10 21 1 40 3.30
3 Parking 1 1 2 14 22 40 4.38
4 Restrooms - - 1 5 32 38 4.82
5
Team Tents
Space
1 4 5 20 9 39 3.82
6 Referee Quality - - - 4 36 40 4.90
7 Field Quality - - - 3 37 40 4.93
8
Competition
Quality
- - 2 5 32 39 4.77
9
Rewards/
Trophies
- 3 7 21 9 40 3.90
10
Pricing of
Entrance Fees
- 1 2 17 20 40 4.40
11 Sportsmanship 2 - - 4 33 39 4.69
12
Other Events
during the
Tournament
7 6 10 11 6 40 3.08
Statisti
c
Conces
sions
Mercha
ndise
Park
ing
Restro
oms
Tea
m
Ten
ts
Spa
ce
Refe
ree
Qual
ity
Fiel
d
Qua
lity
Compe
tition
Quality
Rewa
rds/
Trop
hies
Prici
ng of
Entra
nce
Fees
Sportsma
nship
Other
Events
during
the
Tourna
ment
Min
Value
1 1 1 3 1 4 4 3 2 2 1 1
Max
Value
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Mean 4 3.3 4.38 4.82
3.8
2
4.9 4.93 4.77 3.9 4.4 4.69 3.08
Varianc
e
1.44 0.98 0.8 0.21
0.9
9
0.09 0.07 0.29 0.71 0.5 0.85 1.76
Standar
d
Deviatio
n
1.2 0.99 0.9 0.46 1 0.3 0.27 0.54 0.84 0.71 0.92 1.33
Total
Respon
ses
40 40 40 38 39 40 40 39 40 40 39 40
Total
Respon
dents
40 40 40 38 39 40 40 39 40 40 39 40

38
Question Seven-C: Please check the appropriate ranking of importance the
following factors have when deciding what tournaments your club will
participate in (as pertaining to EVENT ATTRIBUTES).
The final portion of question seven is designed to discover the importance of specific qualities of
tournaments, which were identified as:
Concessions
Merchandise
Parking
Restrooms
Team tent space
Referee quality
Field quality
Competition quality
Rewards/trophies
Entrance fees
Sportsmanship
Other events during the tournament
What is staggering on the surface is the relatively low number of qualities deemed non-factors by
respondents, as there were only 17 total items designated as such (of which 41 percent were given to
the other events during the tournament).
















39
Question Eight-A: What is your clubs most preferred championship award to
receive at a tournament? (Please check one)




















# Answer Bar Response %
1 Trophy 35 87.50%
2 Medal 4 10.00%
3 T-Shirt 1 2.50%
4 Ribbon 0 0.00%
5 Other 0 0.00%
Total 40 100.00%
Min Value
Max
Value
Average
Value
Variance
Standard
Deviation
Total
Responses
Total
Respondents
1 3 1.15 0.18 0.43 40 40

40
Question Eight-B: What is your clubs least preferred championship award to
receive at a tournament? (Please check one)




















# Answer Bar Response %
1 Trophy 1 2.56%
2 Medal 5 12.82%
3 T-Shirt 11 28.21%
4 Ribbon 22 56.41%
5 Other 0 0.00%
Total 39 100.00%
Min Value Max Value
Average
Value
Variance
Standard
Deviation
Total
Responses
Total
Respondents
1 4 3.38 0.66 0.81 39 39

41
Question Eight-A: What is your clubs most preferred championship award to
receive at a tournament? (Please check one)
Question Eight-B: What is your clubs least preferred championship award to
receive at a tournament? (Please check one)
This question (both parts) will provide firm factual data as it relates to tournament prizes from the
perspective of club decision makers; which will provide a nice compliment to the responses from the
focus group in terms of their favorite prizes. This will give the Wisconsin Rapids Kickers the opportunity
to tailor their offerings more to potential participants.




















42
Question Nine-A: Have you ever attended a Wisconsin Rapids Kickers
tournament in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin?




















# Answer Bar Response %
1 Yes 20 50.00%
2 No 20 50.00%
Total 40 100.00%
Min
Value
Max
Value
Average
Value
Variance
Standard
Deviation
Total
Responses
Total
Respondents
1 2 1.50 0.26 0.51 40 40

43

Question 9-B: If you answered yes to the previous question, please answer the
questions as they apply to the Wisconsin Rapids Kickers Tournament in Wisconsin
Rapids, Wisconsin. (You are rating the overall experience at the tournament in
each category. )














44










45









46


















47






# Question
Very
Poor/Negative
Poor/Negative Average Good
Very
good
Response
Average
Value
1
Food and
concession
offerings were
- - 3 12 5 20 4.10
2
Awards and prizes
given were
- 7 6 6 1 20 3.05
3
Area events
coinciding with the
tournament were
- 4 7 8 1 20 3.30
4
Area lodging and
accommodations
were
- - 9 11 - 20 3.55
5 Entry fees were - - 4 15 1 20 3.85
6 Travel costs were - - 6 13 1 20 3.75
7
The location and
city was
- - 8 12 - 20 3.60
Statistic
Food and
concession
offerings
were
Awards
and
prizes
given
were
Area events
coinciding
with the
tournament
were
Area lodging and
accommodations
were
Entry
fees
were
Travel
costs
were
The
location
and city
was
Min Value 3 2 2 3 3 3 3
Max Value 5 5 5 4 5 5 4
Mean 4.1 3.05 3.3 3.55 3.85 3.75 3.6
Variance 0.41 0.89 0.75 0.26 0.24 0.3 0.25
Standard
Deviation
0.64 0.94 0.86 0.51 0.49 0.55 0.5
Total Responses 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
Total
Respondents
20 20 20 20 20 20 20

48
Question Nine-A: Have you ever attended a Wisconsin Rapids Kickers
tournament in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin?
Question 9-B: If you answered yes to the previous question, please answer the
questions as they apply to the Wisconsin Rapids Kickers Tournament in Wisconsin
Rapids, Wisconsin. (You are rating the overall experience at the tournament in
each category. )
The purpose of this question is to gain objective data as it relates to the perception of quality offered
with a Wisconsin Rapids Kickers tournament. This data is arguably the most important in the survey, as
it will allow for the Kickers to gain insight into club decision makers thought process when they choose
to participate or abstain from a Kickers tournament.



















49
Cross-Tabulations
Cross-tabulation one: The first cross-tabulation explored was combining the number of
tournaments attended yearly with the factors of tournament organization.
This cross tabulation highlights the importance of a tournament being run smoothly and
communicating well with its participants. On the surface, each factor (tournament communication,
score displays/results, website information, and registration check-in progress) has value to
respondents, as they are all rated somewhat or very important at 87.5 percent for the lowest score.
When the data is probed a bit deeper, it becomes apparent that the importance of the tournament
organization increases as the number of tournaments attended decreases. If the data is parsed to only
clubs attending six or fewer tournaments yearly, there are only four total selections of choices less than
somewhat important. They are one selection of tournament communication being somewhat
unimportant, along with score displays/results receiving one non-factor selection and two as
somewhat unimportant.
It is worth noting that of the data collected from the forty respondents, it is statistically significant that
the tournament communication be thorough and well executed. This means that this aspect can be
used to predict attendance to a degree.
*All cross-tabulations will have graphical representation in the addendum.
Cross-tabulation two: The second cross-tabulation explored was combining whether travel
played a factor in tournament selection along with the many event attributes of a tournament.
Clearly, given the amount of attributes defined there is a lot of data in this cross tabulation to explore.
The only two attributes to receive votes for nothing other than somewhat important or very
important were referee quality and field quality. This would seem to suggest that field maintenance,
along with hiring reputable (and possibly well-known) referees are the most important attributes to a
tournaments success.
After defining those numbers, further analysis was done to attempt to highlight the individual
importance of the remaining traits. To showcase this, the following page will have a table with the
percentage of non-factor or either unimportant designation selected for each category.





50
Cross-tabulation two: The second cross-tabulation explored was combining whether travel
played a factor in tournament selection along with the many event attributes of a tournament.
Category Percentage (%)
Concessions 17.5
Merchandise 45
Parking 10
Restrooms 2.5
Team tent space 40
Competition quality 5
Rewards/trophies 20
Pricing of entrance fees 7.5
Sportsmanship 5
Other events during the tournament 57.5

This table suggests that (in order of importance) the other attributes to closely monitor with a
tournament would be restrooms, competition quality, sportsmanship, pricing of entrance fees, and
parking (if importance is defined as any attribute with a 90% or greater selection level of some
importance amongst respondents).
Cross-tabulation three: In this cross-tabulation, how many tournaments the respondents attend
annually was cross-referenced with the favorite (and least favorite) awards of their clubs to win.
At a glance it appears as though the survey included the necessary award possibilities, as neither
favorite nor least favorite had any respondents check other as a designation for an award. There were
no clear links between tournament frequency and award preference; however the numbers were simple
(and consistent) enough to give a clear picture of what clubs prefer.
The percentages of awards respondents selected as their favorites were trophies with 87.5, medals
with 10, and t-shirt with 2.5. As far as least favorite, there was a bit more variety in terms of selections.
The percentages were ribbons at 55, t-shirts at 27.5, medals at 12.5, and trophies at 2.5.
Cross-tabulation four: In this case the data regarding reasonable tournament cost was cross-
tabulated with the number of tournaments requiring a motel stay.
This revealed that clubs that take part in tournaments that require an overnight stay tend to be more
financially flexible, as 100 percent (10 of 10) that do so five or more times are comfortable paying $326
and up to enter a tournament. Of those ten, seven felt that $425 and up was reasonable (70 percent).




51
Cross-tabulation five: The number of tournaments attended yearly was combined with the
specific attributes of a Wisconsin Rapids Kickers tournament.
At a glance it is evident that of the twenty respondents who had previously attended a Kickers
tournament, none affixed the designation very poor/negative to any of the attributes offered (which
were food and concession offerings, awards and prizes given, area events coinciding with the
tournament, area lodging and accommodations, entry fees, travel costs, and location/city).
Given the relevance of this information to the Kickers, the following table was developed to make the
respondents percentages easily reviewable.
Category Poor Average Good or very good
Food & concessions -- 15 85
Awards & prizes 35 30 35
Area events 20 35 45
Lodging/accommodations -- 45 55
Entry fees -- 20 80
Travel costs -- 30 70
Location & city -- 40 60

Conclusions
Tournament organization is highly important
o Specifically tournament communication
Referee and field quality are attributes that require a high level of attention
Trophies are a highly desirable tournament award
Entrance fees are not as impactful as one may think
Wisconsin Rapids Kickers tournaments offer a positive experience
o Important to note this conclusion is based on small sample size









52
Recommendations
Recommendation one: Based on the data, it is recommended that the Wisconsin Rapids Kickers
offer trophies as the primary award for winning their tournaments. It was both the most-selected
favorite award by respondents (87.5 percent) as well as the least-selected least favorite award (2.5
percent). By doing so, they would then have something that the focus groups and respondents agreed
was a positive influence on whether they chose to attend a particular tournament.
Recommendation two: The data virtually demands that there be a recommendation made
regarding a strong and attentive management practice of tournament organization. In particular,
tournament communication is a statistically significant predictor of respondent behavior (whether or
not they will choose to attend a particular tournament). By communicating effectively, along with giving
a positive experience in the other tournament organization factors identified (score displays/results,
website information, and registration check-in progress), the Wisconsin Rapids Kickers will have
accomplished satisfying respondents and done their part in creating an experience to entice annual
visitors.
Recommendation three: It is recommended that the Wisconsin Rapids Kickers attempt to
expand their recruitment area for potential tournament participants. Given the respondents
willingness to travel a significant distance (84.62 percent willing to travel 91 miles or more in direct
response to question four), there appears on the surface to be good potential for acquiring participants
from further away than may have been previously recognized.
Recommendation four: It is recommended the Wisconsin Rapids Kickers pay close attention to
the quality of their fields and referees. While field maintenance is fairly universal, it would behoove the
Kickers to allow tournament participants to rate the referees following each tournament. By monitoring
these two areas, the Kickers will be in position to capitalize on the two highest prioritized attributes by
survey respondents.
Recommendation five: Based upon survey data, it is recommended that the Wisconsin Rapids
Kickers increase their tournament entry fees. This is based off of the personal feedback from two
respondents, as well as 80 percent of those who have attended a Kickers tournament rating their fees
as good or very good (as opposed to their not receiving a rating of poor).





i
Addendum
Letter to respondents:

October 30, 2013



Club Representative
Soccer_Club
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Club Representative:
The Marketing Research Class at Mid-State Technical College is conducting research to determine how
competitive soccer clubs in the Midwest choose the tournaments their clubs participate in by identifying
specific positive and negative attributes of Midwest competitive soccer tournaments. We have created
the enclosed survey to help obtain the maximum relevant data with minimal respondent effort.
We would greatly appreciate your assistance; either by completing the enclosed survey and returning it
in the postage paid envelope provided by November 12, 2013 or by visiting the online option at
http://tinyurl.com/MSTCsoccer to take part in the survey. By sharing your experiences and
preferences regarding soccer tournaments, our local soccer club can utilize the information to improve
their tournament.
Once received, the data will be interpreted and analyzed by the Marketing Research class. The individual
information collected will remain confidential and will only be used by the class for analysis. The results
will be made available to any interested respondents by email. If you have any questions or concerns
about the survey; please contact Debra Wallner (Marketing and Business instructor) by phone at
715.422.5368 or by email at Debra.Wallner@MSTC.edu. We thank you in advance for taking the time to
participate in this survey.
Sincerely,
The MSTC Marketing Research Class
Mid-State Technical College Marketing Program
Enclosures: 2


ii
Postcard:












iii
Clean survey:


iv


v
Sample frame:
Soccer Club
Bettendorf Soccer
Association
Cedar River Soccer
Association - CRSA
Eastern Iowa Soccer
Association
Iowa City Alliance Soccer
Club
Midwest Soccer Club
North Scott Soccer Club
3 Rivers Soccer Club (IL)
Addison United Soccer Club
Arlington Aces Soccer Club
Aurora Flames
Barrington Area Soccer
Assoc.
Bartlett Travel Soccer Club
Belle Clair Soccer League
BFC Soccer Club, LLC
Blue Fire Soccer Club
Bolingbrook Soccer Club of
Illinois
Campton United SC
Carol Stream Panthers SC
Cary Soccer Association
Chicago Fire Juniors
Chicago Kickers Soccer Club
Chicago Lakefront Attack SC -
CLASC
Chicago Magic Soccer Club
Chicago Sharks Soccer Club
Crystal Lake FORCE
Dabrico United Soccer Club
Downers Grove Roadrunners
East Moline - Silvis Soccer
Club
Edison Park Celtic FC
Edwardsville Soccer Club
Elka FC
FC DRIVE
FC Fusion Soccer Club
FC Peoria Soccer Club
Fury Futbol Club of Illinois
Galaxy Soccer Club
Germantown Hills
Glen-Ed Soccer Club
Glenview Soccer Club
GLSA Premier
Grayslake Galaxy Soccer Club
Greater Chicagoland Soccer
League
Green White Soccer Club
Grove United Soccer
Association
Homewood-Flossmoor SC
Huntley Heat Travel Soccer
Association
Illinois Fusion Soccer
Association
Illinois Futbol Club
Inter FC
Joga Bonito Soccer
Johnsburg White Lightning
Kaneland Youth Soccer
Organization
Kickers United FC (Elgin)
Lindenhurst Area Soccer Club
Lisle Dragons Soccer Club
Marshall Area Soccer Kids
McHenry Area Soccer
Federation
MidState Soccer Club
Midwest Fury Soccer Club
Midwest Reign Soccer Club
Midwest Youth Soccer
League
Moline United

vi
Mundelein Soccer Club
NSA Premier
O'Fallon Kixx Soccer Club
Panther Soccer Club
Plainfield Freedom Soccer
Club
Prism Futbol Club
Quincy United Soccer Club
Reed-Custer Soccer Club
Schaumburg FC
Schwaben Athletic Club
Shadow Premier FC
Sirens Soccer Club
SIYSA Hawks Soccer Club
Skomor Soccer Club
Team Elmhurst Soccer Club
Team Evanston
Tri-Cities Soccer Association
(TCSA)
Tri-County Soccer League
Typhoons FC
Warren United Soccer Club
WC United Soccer Club
Woodstock Crossfire Soccer
Club
Blaine Soccer Club
Buffalo Soccer Club
Burnsville Fire Soccer Club
Centennial Soccer Club
Central Minnesota Youth
Soccer Association
Coon Rapids Soccer
Association
Farmington Club Soccer
Golden Valley Phoenix
Soccer Club
Granite City Soccer Club
MapleBrook Soccer
Association
Minnesota Thunder
Academy
Monticello Soccer Club
North Metro Soccer
Association
Northern Lights Soccer Club
Northfield Soccer Association
Northwest Kickers
Plymouth Soccer Association
St. Croix Soccer Club
STMA United S.C.
Three Rivers Soccer
Association
Tonka United Soccer
Association
Twin City Fire Soccer Club
Westside Football Club
Woodbury Soccer Club
ACE Soccer Club
Appleton Soccer Club
Ashwaubenon Soccer Club
Baraboo Soccer Club
Belleville Bulldogs Soccer
Club
Brookfield Soccer Association
Capital City United S.C.
Capital East Soccer Club
Chequamegon Bay Soccer
Club
Coulee Region Soccer Club
Delavan Soccer Club
East Troy Youth Soccer
Elkhorn Youth Soccer EYSC
Elm Grove Soccer Club
FC Green Bay
FC Milwaukee
Fond du Lac Soccer
Association
Fox Valley Unified Soccer
Club
Grafton Soccer Club
Green Bay Lightning Soccer
Club Inc.
Hartford Soccer Club

vii
Howard Suamico Youth
Soccer Association
Iowa County Youth Soccer
Association
Kiel Soccer Club
Kimberly Area Soccer
Association
Madison Celtics Youth Soccer
Club
Madison East Soccer Club
Madison FC
Marshfield Youth Soccer
Association
McFarland Soccer
Association
Menomonee Falls Soccer
Club
Mequon United Soccer Club
Middleton Yahara Soccer
Club (MYSC)
Milwaukee Kickers Soccer
Club
Monona Grove Soccer Club
Mount Horeb Youth Soccer
Club
New Richmond Soccer Club
Norski Soccer Club
North Shore United Soccer
Club
Oak Creek Soccer Club
Oregon Soccer Association
Port Washington Soccer Club
Portage County Youth Soccer
Price Soccer Club
Racine Area Soccer
Association
Rhinelander Soccer Club
Rice Lake Soccer Asociation
Rock Soccer Club
SC Waukesha, Inc.
Sockers FC Wisconsin
Stoughton Area Youth Soccer
Association
Sun Prairie Soccer Club
Sussex Soccer Club
Tomah Youth Soccer
Assocation
United Soccer of Allouez
Wales Soccer
Watertown Soccer Club
Waunakee Area Soccer Club
Wisconsin Rapids Kickers

viii
Cross-tabulation images: Cross-tabulation one





ix
Cross-tabulation one (continued):




x
Cross-tabulation two:





xi
Cross-tabulation two (continued):






xii
Cross-tabulation two (continued):






xiii
Cross-tabulation two (continued):


xiv
Cross-tabulation two (continued):


xv
Cross-tabulation two (continued):


xvi
Cross-tabulation three:









xvii
Cross-tabulation three (continued):









xviii
Cross-tabulation four:












xix
Cross-tabulation four (continued):














xx
Cross-tabulation five:





xxi
Cross-tabulation five (continued):









xxii
Cross-tabulation five (continued):


xxiii
Cross-tabulation five (continued):