Some of the primary concerns that families, teams, and club officials face each season:

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Financial:

Q: Tournaments are expensive and our team budget is already maxed out.  Why should we include/add the M3 events to our schedule?

A: M3 events are some of the lowest priced in the country, starting at just $295 per team.  This would mean that each family's individual tuition would be as low as $20 to participate. Additionally, each 'mini tourney' event takes place over a single day.  Therefore removing the financial component and burden of hotel stays.  The city of Boonville/Columbia is also known as one of the least expensive cost of living cities in the Midwest.  Meaning that midday meals for the family, filling up your gas tank, etc. will be offered at a discount compared to 'big city events'.

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Scheduling:

Q: What does an average event day look like for a team and will we need hotel accommodations?

A: NO FORCED HOTEL STAY!  Since each 'mini tourney' consists of each team playing two games, on one day, there is no need for any team to book a hotel room.  Matches are scheduled to be played primarily between 10am and 6pm.  Late event start times mean no team will have to leave home at 6am to make it for an 8am kick off.  Early end times will allow all teams to get home at a reasonable hour even if they have a 2 hour drive time. Teams are scheduled in a manner that limits their amount of time on site, yet allows ample rest/recovery time between matches.  The proper balance of convenience and safety.  Each team will play 2 games, with a 1hr-2hr break between games.  Meaning that a 'full event' for any team will consist of just 7hrs or less INCLUDING DRIVE TIME, compared to the 40+ hr time commitment required by standard tournaments.  Teams that wish to join us from out of state, will certainly have the option to book hotel rooms with our housing partners, and 3 game format can be provided.
 

Lack of Team Preparation:

Q: This early in the season our team has not been able to train much.  How can they be expected to 'perform' at their highest level and play competitive games given the lack of training time? 

A: At this point in the season very few teams have been able to get more than a handful of training hours together.  All teams are in the same boat.  Our events provide each team an opportunity to grow team chemistry, try new lineups/formations/tactics, and gain match fitness simultaneously.  All important pieces of every team's early season preparation. While providing 'real' games and 'real' competition, this event will NOT record score lines, NOT offer the gain or loss of online rankings points, NO trophies, medals, nor standings.  This event is strictly organized friendlies between comparable teams from different geographical markets where possible.  Giving an opportunity to get back on the field against comparable opponents from outside of your city as a means for getting back into competitive play.  This event should be viewed as a 'friendly' or 'preseason' event. 

Risk of Injury:

Q: Players having not played nor trained regularly over the last 3 months will be at greater risk of physical injury.  What precautions are being taken to help players return to play while limiting risk of injury?

A: The primary focus of our events is the safety of players and spectators as we return to play.  Our events allow for unlimited substitutions during games, extended team rosters of up to 20 players allowed to participate in each game, shortened game length, and maximum of two games per day for each team.  We will have certified athletic trainers on site providing medical coverage for all games.  Water breaks will also take place during each match as needed. 

  
Weather Related Concerns:

Q: Games played in the Midwest can be very hot.  What is being done to keep the players safe during potentially very hot or cold

weather conditions? 

A: Our events offer extended rosters of up to 20 players allowed to participate in each game along with unlimited substitutions.  This allows coaches to have more flexibility in managing each player's workload during matches.  Each team will play a maximum of 2 games per day, further limiting the risk of heat related injury. 

Competition Diversity:

Q: Our team has lots of local opponents we see regularly.  We attend out of town tournaments to guarantee we see new competition.  What is being done to ensure that our team will not have to play teams from our local market?

A: Our events work closely with over 75 clubs from Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Columbia and other cities within driving distance of our host site in Boonville.  As the landscape of youth sports changes and less teams are willing to travel long distances and book hotel rooms in order to find competitive games outside their local market, our events provide all the benefits of an 'out of town' tournament, while minimizing the 'risks'. 

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Comparison to Other Tournaments:

Q: Our team has enjoyed our overall experience playing in many tournaments in the past.  How are these events similar to other 'mainstream' events in the market place? 

A: While our events differ from most 'mainstream' tournaments in that we have dramatically reduced tuition, and eliminated 'fluff' items such as trophies and rankings points, our events offer all the 'comforts' and high standards that have become common place in the top tournaments around the country.  We offer the convenience of on site concessions, clean restroom facilities, and multiple vendors.  All matches have athletic trainers on site and are sanctioned and insured by MYSA and USYS to protect players in the event of an injury.  All matches are officiated by nationally certified real referees from multiple cities throughout Missouri and Kansas.   

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Cancellation and Refund Policy:

Q: We have been part of several events that have been cancelled due to weather/'act of God' related issues.  In the event the tournament is cancelled either entirely or partially, what are the refund policies?

A: We understand that every event requires a great deal of time, money, and effort on the part of every team and family in attendance.  Getting cancelled for any reason is a huge bummer and inconvenience for everyone involved.  Our staff, like the teams and families that choose to participate, put a great deal of time and energy into our events.  There are many weeks of work that go into putting on an event and providing a high quality experience to our attendees.  When a cancellation takes place, we all suffer. Our events are offered at a very low price, but do not skimp on product quality. Each team's tuition covers two main expense factors: 1. Administrative fees (~$65): scheduling, bracketing, sanctioning, registration, parking, staffing, etc. 2. Competition fees: facility/field rental, referees, trainers, game play, etc.  In the event of a complete cancellation, every team will receive a full refund of their competition fees. The tournament will retain up to $65 of the administrative fee.  This fee is retained to cover 'sunk' costs and partially compensate the staff who put a great deal of time and effort into the many weeks of preparation time leading up to the event.  In the event that a team only completes one of their two scheduled matches due to weather cancellation, they will receive a refund of no less than 80% of their unplayed game competition fees.  No refunds will be given to teams that drop out of an event after the registration deadline or after they have been accepted.  See individual tournament deadline dates for event specifics.  All refund requests will be reviewed by the board and processed in the order received.