San Diego Surf Challenge 

Established in 1980, San Diego Surf is the City’s premier youth soccer club. The Surf Challenge is played each November over Thanksgiving week, a typically low demand period for hotels in North San Diego. The event attracts hundreds of teams and college coaches who use the event as a scouting opportunity. The games resulted in nearly 6,000 hotel room nights, generating close to $1 million in SDTMD hotel room night revenue and a return on investment of $24.80 for every SDTMD dollar.

Key highlights FY 2020:

  • The number of participating teams continues to grow, including attracting more teams from the East Coast.
  • Nearly 400 teams were turned away due to space limitation. Event organizers seek to expand the tournament window in the future to accommodate more teams.
  • College coach attendance reached a record high of over 600, solidifying this as one of the premier showcase events in the country.

ROI 24.8:1

FY 2020 Funded Amount $40,000
Hotel Room Nights 5,820
x Average Daily Rate $170.29
= Total Room Night Revenue $991,088