Like protective coaches carefully overseeing the development of a raw but promising prospect, officials are tempering their expectations for the first-ever Pan-Pacific Soccer Championships with a healthy dose of "let's see what happens."

To be sure, however, event organizers and state officials are well aware of what an out-of-the-box success might mean for the long-term prospects of the game and, by extension, the local economy.

With the potential loss of the NFL Pro Bowl (the current contract between the NFL and the state expires next year and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has expressed interest in moving the annual all-star game to the site of the Super Bowl), the Pan-Pacific tournament in particular has been cited as one of several events that could fill the economic void.

For local soccer enthusiasts, the high-profile event is a chance to prove that their widespread and well-established community can be mobilized from recreational play to active (and profitable) attendance at soccer events.

The two-day tournament begins Wednesday and features the L.A. Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo of the Major League Soccer, Gamba Osaka of Japan and Sydney FC of Australia squaring off at Aloha Stadium.

Officials are hoping that the international field, combined appeal of international soccer icon David Beckham of the Galaxy and local soccer star Brian Ching of the Dynamo, will attract soccer enthusiasts and casual sports fans alike.

"Hawai'i is in a geographically perfect location in the pan-Pacific region," said Will Wilson, head of international marketing for Soccer United Marketing, which is staging the event. "The people we've been working with have been wonderfully helpful and it's our desire to and intention to build long-term in Hawai'i.

"I hope the groundswell of excitement that this is generating internationally will translate into local interest," he added.

Indeed, the event will have to rely heavily on local fans for attendance given the relatively late start the event had in marketing itself.

The event was announced in late November.

"Usually, you have a year to a year and a half to get the word out," said Michael Story, sports manager for the Hawai'i Tourism Authority. "So, we were dealing with a very compressed window. We knew the Galaxy, Dynamo and Gamba were coming, but the Australian entry was not determined until last week," when Sydney FC won the Hyundai A-League championship.

Story also noted that marketing the game locally has been difficult given "atypical" success of this season's University of Hawai'i football team (which included a berth in the Sugar Bowl), the drama surrounding the departure of UH head football coach June Jones and the firing of UH athletic director Herman Frazier, the Sony Open, and a series of high school playoffs and championships.

"What a tough nut to crack in your first year," Story said.

Still, thanks to a concerted marketing effort in Japan, hundreds of Japanese tourists are expected to come to Hawai'i to take in the game.

GLOBAL TELECASTS

Perhaps even more valuable from a tourism marketing standpoint, the games will be telecast on ESPN Classic in the United States, SkyPerfecTV in Japan, I-Cable in Hong Kong and Astro Sports in Malaysia. Broadcast arrangements are also to be finalized for Canada, Australia, Vietnam, China, South Korea and other markets.

Story said he and his staff have been speaking with broadcasters to maximize Hawai'i's exposure through in-show vignettes and other opportunities.

"What a great and fitting way to show Hawai'i to the world," Story said of the tournament. "Soccer is to the rest of the world what American football is to the U.S. And we have a great soccer community in Hawai'i."

Brendan Cravalho, the director of AYSO in Hawai'i, says Hawai'i's broad yet tight-knit soccer community just may be the great untapped market the state is looking for to help attract top-flight, revenue-generating sporting events to the state.

As Cravalho notes, Hawai'i is home to thousands of active soccer players, from kindergartners to senior citizens, who participate in a wide variety of venues, including the expansive Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Complex.

AYSO has approximately 25,000 members statewide, age 4 to 19, and plays a year-round schedule. The Hawaii Youth Soccer Association has about 5,100 participants. There also are several adult leagues, including the Women's Island Soccer Association and the Men's Island Soccer Organization.

This summer, Hawai'i will host the U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regionals and the AYSO National Games. Combined, nearly 400 teams are expected to participate in the events, the vast majority from the Mainland.

"That's at least $10 million coming into the state for each event," Cravalho said. "That's a lot of money for one weekend."

Cravalho was gently critical of the local media for not paying more attention to local soccer, and for not better promoting the Pan-Pacific championships.

"Soccer is a big thing in Hawai'i but it doesn't get the attention it deserves," Cravalho said.

Cravalho said the Pan-Pacific tournament is a prime opportunity for local sports fans to see and appreciate the beauty of high-level soccer.

"It's not just kids kicking around a ball," Cravalho said. "There is some skill and method in how to play the game."

As part of its community outreach efforts, Soccer United Marketing is sponsoring "Kick Across Hawai'i," a series of community soccer events and clinics featuring active players from the participating teams.

IMPACTING THE YOUTH

HYSA president Scott Keopuhiwa said the tournament and its related events are a boon to local youth soccer.

"An event like this brings soccer at its highest level to the island so our youth can see firsthand what it is like," he said. "It's impressed on them what they are capable of doing if they work hard."

Like Cravalho, Keopuhiwa said he hopes fans outside the soccer community will support the tournament in its maiden voyage.

"I would like to see a larger audience get involved," he said. "I think the Hawai'i community in general has a kind of wait-and-see attitude, but we need to support this kind of event. It's costly to bring in teams and they need to put people in the seats. If they don't see numbers in the ticket sales, they might not come again."

In fact, no one affiliated with the event is certain what to expect.

"It's a new event," Story said. "It's not relocating from somewhere else, so we can't compare it to past" performances.

Story said HTA will conduct an intercept survey, similar to those prepared for the Pro Bowl, to measure the tournament's economic impact.

Wilson said he and his team will evaluate the success of the event based on several factors, including cooperation with local partners and community outreach programs (both of which Wilson said were "wonderful"), as well as attendance and sponsorships.

Wilson declined to specify the value of the tournament's sponsorship agreements, but said it was roughly double what he had anticipated. He also declined to say how many tickets have been sold, but said that sales have been "steady."

Wilson said the tournament plans to expand its field in the coming years. Negotiations are under way to have a South Korean team participate next year; teams from China, New Zealand and other pan-Pacific countries also may join.

Several countries also have contacted Soccer United Marketing about hosting the tournament, but Wilson, citing the quality of local soccer facilities and Hawai'i's success in hosting major sporting events like the Pro Bowl, said he has no plans to switch venues.

"We'll go over the pros and cons of everything after it's all done," he said. "But Hawai'i is an attractive destination. People want to come here. And this mix of destination and facilities is attractive to us. It's our intention to build in Hawai'i."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.