Parks director says Mayor’s Cup and youth soccer bring tourists and economic impact; council discusses field maintenance funding

Parks Director Maggie Plaster gave an overview of the Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup and the city’s soccer‑field inventory on April 15, telling the council that youth sports are both a social benefit and an economic engine for Las Vegas.

Plaster said the Mayor’s Cup has grown from dozens of teams in 2000 to more than 1,500 teams across showcase tournaments in 2025 and that sports fields generated an estimated $124 million annual economic impact from tournaments, visitors and related spending. She told the council municipal field rental fees produced $1.66 million for the municipal sports unit and $2.3 million across all city fields in the previous year; the numbers cover field‑rent fees, not all maintenance costs.

Council members asked whether the parks department could increase the share of rental revenue directed to field maintenance and whether the city could partner with the school district to access additional fields for large tournaments. Plaster said some maintenance costs are covered by general parks maintenance budgets and water costs, and that the department would approach the school district to discuss potential field‑use partnerships, though tournament organizers prefer complexes with multiple contiguous fields.

Plaster also reviewed current and planned field projects, including expansions at Betty Wilson, new fields at Craig Park and Northwest Regional Park, and additional practice fields in Sky Canyon and other parks to meet demand.

Councilmembers praised the department’s outreach and volunteer support for tournaments and encouraged staff to continue exploring partnerships to expand field capacity while ensuring sustainable maintenance funding.