The Stay-to-Play Report
7 of 30 tournaments we checked require booking through the tournament (23%).
Updated Oct 14, 2026, the newest date we checked a rule.
30Tournaments checked
7Hotel required, 23%
5Book Anywhere, 17%
8Hotels suggested, 27%
10Unclear, 33%
By sport
| Group | Checked | Hotel required | Share required | Book Anywhere | Suggested | Unclear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey | 25 | 6 | 24% | 1 | 8 | 10 |
| Baseball | 4 | 0 | 0% | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Soccer | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
By state
| Group | Checked | Hotel required | Share required | Book Anywhere | Suggested | Unclear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota hockey | 25 | 6 | 24% | 1 | 8 | 10 |
| Maryland baseball | 1 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| New York baseball | 1 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| South Carolina baseball | 1 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tennessee baseball | 1 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Minnesota soccer | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tournaments that require a hotel
2 of 7 state a penalty for booking elsewhere. 5 list no exemption. 0 do not disclose whether the tournament earns rebates.
| Tournament | Partner | Penalty, as quoted | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moorhead Youth Hockey Association Tournaments 2026-27 Minnesota hockey | Fargo-Moorhead CVB (FMCVB) Housing Bureau, booked through EventConnect | No penalty stated | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Blue Ox Minnesota hockey | Fargo-Moorhead CVB (FMCVB) Housing Bureau, booked through EventConnect | No penalty stated | Oct 14, 2026 |
| VFW MN Invitational Minnesota hockey | Fargo-Moorhead CVB (FMCVB) Housing Bureau, booked through EventConnect | No penalty stated | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Eli Johnson Memorial Minnesota hockey | Fargo-Moorhead CVB (FMCVB) Housing Bureau, booked through EventConnect | No penalty stated | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Skate 218 Girls 10U Minnesota hockey | Fargo-Moorhead CVB (FMCVB) Housing Bureau, booked through EventConnect | No penalty stated | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Gopher State Outdoor Veterans Cup Minnesota hockey | MYHockey Tournaments | "Failure to comply will result in expulsion from the tournament, and registration fees will not be refunded. Teams that do not meet [the 24 room night] requirement will be ..." | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Target USA CUP Minnesota soccer | Event Connect | "Required to be eligible to participate in either tournament" | Oct 14, 2026 |
Exemptions the rules list
These are the exemptions tournaments with a hotel rule publish, most common first. Numbers are replaced by # when grouping, so the counts group radius rules of different sizes.
| Phrasing, first example | Tournaments |
|---|---|
| "Dormitory packages (University of Minnesota, University of Northwestern, Concordia St. Paul) are offered as a lodging option, first come, first serve" | 1 |
| "Target USA CUP says it will work with teams with a special situation" | 1 |
| "Teams whose home rink is 70 miles or less from the tournament rink are not out-of-town teams. Quote: "Any team whose home rink is more than 70 miles from the tournament rink will be considered an out-of-town team"" | 1 |
| "Teams with a signed hotel contract can email a copy and USA CUP will try to incorporate those rooms into the approved list" | 1 |
Housing deadlines
No booking deadlines are published for the tournaments that require a hotel.
How we counted
- The universe is every tournament page live on this site. We do not claim it is every tournament in the country.
- Each status comes from the tournament's own published rule, quoted on its page with a link and the date we checked.
- "Hotel required" means the rules say teams must book through a housing partner. "Suggested" means the rules encourage it but do not require it. "Unclear" means we could not read a clear rule, and we do not guess.
- Percentages are rounded to whole numbers. Groups of one or two tournaments move a lot on a single change.
- Rules were checked between Oct 14, 2026 and Oct 14, 2026. Every page is re-checked before it is kept live.
- Think a count is wrong? Send a correction with a link to the rule. We fix verified errors within 48 hours. Method: how we score.