Bidding Process for Pioneer Cup Announced

After receiving expressions of interest from a large number of organizations interested in hosting the Pioneer Cup Tournament, the Utah Youth Soccer Association has adopted a bid process to facilitate the selection process and to ensure its fairness. Parties interested in bidding to host the tournament must agree to the conditions below. Bids must then be received by the State Office not later than 5:00 PM on Friday, April 18th. The bids will be evaluated, and a winning bid selected, by the UYSA Board of Directors during the executive session of the Board's meeting on April 22, 2003. The Board's evaluation of the bids will include the factors listed below. Applicants are encouraged to address each criterion in their bids. The organization whose bid is ultimately selected will then be given the opportunity to execute a contract with UYSA that memorializes the terms of the organization's bid and the conditions below.

Conditions

• The host organization must be a member of UYSA in good standing and must agree to comply with UYSA's bylaws, rules, and policies.
• The host organization must comply with all USYSA, US Youth, and USSF rules and regulations that are generally applicable to youth soccer tournaments.
• Participation in the Pioneer Cup must remain open to all UYSA teams.
• The host organization must enter a covenant not to compete agreement with UYSA under which the host organizations agrees that, in the event that the host organization ceases to host the Pioneer Cup for whatever reason, the host organization will not sponsor any other tournament during between June and August for the two years after hosting the Pioneer Cup.
• The Pioneer Cup Tournament will remain the property of UYSA; the host organization will receive a license to operate the Pioneer Cup Tournament under sanction by UYSA.
• Annual renewal of this license, which shall not be unreasonably withheld during the term of any agreement between UYSA and the host organization, will be subject to annual renewal based on compliance with the agreement and UYSA's generally applicable rules for tournament host organizations.
• The host organization must agree, at the request of UYSA's Boys and/or Girls Competition Committees, to host a seeding tournament for U11 teams under rules established by the respective UYSA Competition Committees. The entry fees for the seeding tournament will be set by agreement of the host committee and the applicable Competition Committee.
• The host organization must agree, at the request of either UYSA Competition Committee, to incorporate requested "challenge" games within Pioneer Cup in the event that "challenge" competition becomes part of the alignment process.

Bid Criteria

• Financial Consideration to UYSA. Last year, UYSA earned approximately $13,000 through its operation of the Pioneer Cup. The successful bid will compensate UYSA for licensing such a valuable asset to the host organization. Please be aware that UYSA is willing to evaluate a variety of proposals, ranging from a flat-fee, percentage of receipts, or some blend based on results. The bid should explain how and when such consideration would be conveyed to UYSA.
• Benefit to the Host Organization. The successful bid will explain how the host organization plans to use the tournament to improve its services and programs for players within the host organization.
• Tournament Plans. The successful bid will explain the host organization's vision for the Pioneer Cup on both a short and long-term basis.
• Plans for Growth. The bid should explain any plans to improve and grow the tournament.
• Community Awareness. The bid should explain any plans to increase the tournament's visibility in order to make it a recognized part of the state's Pioneer Days celebration.
• Ability to Host the Pioneer Cup. The successful bid will establish that the host organization has the capability (financial resources, volunteer base, experience, dedications, etc) to successfully operate the tournament.
• Intangible Benefits to UYSA. Bids should explain whether UYSA will realize any intangible benefits from the host organization's operation of the Pioneer Cup.
• Any other factors deemed relevant by the potential host organization.