SportsQuest and Richmond Strikers create partnership

SportsQuest and the largest independent soccer club in the Richmond metro have partnered to expand the Jefferson Cup soccer tournament to be held locally next March. By then, SportsQuest expects to have 17 synthetic fields ready for play and be able to attract the more than 750 teams and 30,000 people who played in the annual tournament last March.

Including fields owned by the Richmond Strikers and parks and recreation departments north of the James River, they’ll have more than 50 fields. With SportsQuest’s 17 synthetic fields able to drain up to 8 inches of rain off their surfaces per hour, it also makes rainouts less likely so teams can play, and the sports combo won’t have to refund revenue to so many teams.

The SportsQuest fields are being completed off Genito Road on the eastern border of Route 288. CEO Steve Burton hopes to have SportsQuest’s Festival Park mostly finished by then, with food and entertainment options for both players and family members. For those unable to attend in person, the games will be recorded and available for viewing on the Internet for a fee.

“It’s a true revenue sharing business and doesn’t have to impact the other business of each organization,” said Burton at last week’s announcement.

“We’re thrilled to join with SportsQuest,” echoed Scott Turner, executive director for the Strikers.

With the extra fields, they expect family and friends attending the Jefferson Cup to book more hotel rooms than any other sporting event in the Richmond area, including NASCAR. The twosome has also partnered with Anthony Travel to book hotel rooms. The travel firm has 23 agencies around the country specializing in sporting events with working relationships with Disney’s Soccer Showcase and major universities like the University of North Carolina, Notre Dame and the University of California at Los Angeles.

When SportsQuest completes its 250-acre campus, Burton hopes to hold some 35 weekend tournaments plus other tournaments indoors.