Sport Camps

In 21st century economic importance has increased and in recent years two favorite sectors became tourism and football. As tourism offers opportunities for individuals or groups; it also created places desired by football clubs.

Since in the World football activities are most popular among spot clubs, and football economy is stronger as other sports branches, big investments are made in this area. Last year’s there is discussion whether tourism affect football or football affect tourism, but the answer is that they have mediated effect on each other.

In reality for years tourism and football intertwine with each other. Tourism advertisements can be seen on sport activities, and also tourism businesses sponsor national and international sports clubs and organizations. And when sport organizations are on stage of realization tourism and football also affect each other. Football team’s matches or preparation camps benefitfrom transportation, accommodations, food & drinks, entertainment, recreation, and other tourism facilities. From tourism point of view football has different importance.

Football can be used as a good tool especially to differentiate tourism and to use resources in sustainable way; and also to boost tourism on right time and place by using sources of supply. In this framework the conceptualization of football tourism is based on valid bases. Football tourism is a phenomenon that creates economic and social outcomes such as; attending of football teams to national and to international activities, playing in national leagues and intended for that pre-season games, match period andpre-season camps and preparation workouts. All these activities make good use of sport facilities with transportation, accommodation, food & drinks, recreation and other tourism services.

In football tourism individual and group organizations coincide, that is group consumption also lead to individual consumption. Football is not just a game, and should not be evaluated as only sport. At the same time football helps social development in areas like education and health. Furthermore football reinforce national honor and solidarity, and as tourism producthave various economic contributions. Football tourism is quite different from other types of tourism and therefore tourism demand depend on teams and player’s characteristics and also fans and spectators. In 1970th when TV entered into our life football became a sector.

International football organizations, spectators, television, transportation, accommodation, food & beverage, entertainment, advertisement and sponsormake revenue ofbillions of dollars. Andorganizers and attended football teams try to get some peace of revenue from these big economic structure. Football tourism at the same time as niche market is part of the tourism economy. It also promotes tourist areas and facilities with its international festivals and activities. Football and tourism: football teams by selection of camp places evaluate 363 alternative tourism.

Football tourism has two forms. The first one is club and national teams’ tournaments organized by international football federations; also league and cup organizations created by league organization and national federations. Football teams can not directly select and attend this kind of international organizations and cities.

Second form of football tourism consist of gamesin organization like in first form when football team has got a chance to play, and camp and preparation workouts to attend national organizations. And here quite important decision made by football team, since they can directly attend organizations, and also selectcamps and preparation workout places. Football team actualize camp and pre-season preparation workouts for organizations, tournament period and between seasons.

Tournament preparation workouts is connected to the calendar and each match should be held in different city according to its program. Pre-season and season-to-season camp and preparation workouts depend on each countries federation’s match program and can differ from each other. However for camp and preparation workouts there is the need for cool and mountain plateaus.

In our country especially winter tourism oriented places like Antalya/Abant /Bolu, Kartalkaya/Bolu, Davraz/Isparta, Kizilcahaman/Ankara, Ilgaz/Kastamonu, Palandoken/Erzurm create attractiveness with their accommodation facilities, football training fields and match arena which have cool weather in summer and appropriate humidity, temperature, and oxygen conditions. For season-to-season camp and preparation workouts conducted during winter, there is meaningful need to select places with mild weather, appropriate humidity and temperature, and where rain and wind factors are less dominant.

Antalya as one of the important center of tourism in the world along withFetiye, Bodrum, Marmaris, Kushadasi, veCheshme which provide during the winter facilities for many local and foreign football teams camp and preparation workouts. Mediterranean and Aegean regions are football attraction centers because many of match and tournament organizations held in winter; and these regions can provide high quality accommodation, convenience of transportation facilities, abundance of football training and match fields.

Accommodation facilities of winter tourism and summer tourism provide services for football tourism, and it also helps to spread tourism over the year. This situation enable for tourism facilities to make more revenue, especially when local and foreign famous teams playing games so area, city and accommodation facilities became well known.

Football team’s camp staff consist ab 30 to 50 persons that are football players, technical committee, health team, equipment supplier and others. But in some cases teams come with fan group so it can be till 300 persons of convoy. In addition to that local, national and international press members coming to the place of game that also bring activity. On the other hand the fact is that fans’ of famous football teams following match and trainings are also creating demand for accommodation facilities.

Even some fanatic fans of famous football players follow football team as individual or as group with tour firms. Many media members also follow football teams’preparation workouts and matches and transmit on television. By this match transmission hidden advertisement is made for accommodation facilities and for the site itself.

On the other hand when there is low season in tourism and many employees have to quit the job, football tourism can contribute their employment. Weather conditions is an important factor influencing selection of camp place by football team. And it can be seen that in summer for preparation workouts cool places are preferred. In summer and winter periods when selecting places for camp and preparation workouts climate conditions should be taken into consideration. From tourism point of view there is favorable opportunity. For football team to have camp and preparation workouts in the area, it has to have enough amount and good quality of accommodation facilities. Facilities need to have required equipment for football players’ accommodation and social activities. The general inconvenience for football team having camp in hotel is that more than one team uses the same facility.

It is considered as a big problem if there are not enough equipment and materials for a period when no trainings conducted. It is insufficient to relay on climate condition and convenient accommodation facilities by selecting camp place and preparation workouts for football team. Also it is quite important quality of ground and grass of the training fields, rehabilitation, and units for fitness purposes. Other necessary conditions for football player’s health and safety are enough field lighting, training area should not be far away from accommodation facilities and absence of wire netting between spectators.In addition it compulsory to have security team in accommodation facilities’ training fields.

From football team point of view it is important to have a presence of match organizations during camp period. During prepetation matches football teams can make up for their deficiencies and at the same time earn income from tournaments. Especially famous football teams get high share of participation.