West Virginia Prepares for Major Tournament

$1.7 Million Spent in Preparation

July 1, 2009

State and local officials in Barboursville, West Virginia have poured more than $1.7 million into preparations for the US Youth Soccer Region Championships this July, according to the Charleston Gazette.

According to the paper, the officials have graded and seeded 22 fields in the region and built a bridge to keep players and fans from crossing the railroad tracks.

"We're looking forward to getting the tournament started," Paul Turman, Barboursville's mayor, told the Gazette. "We've put a lot of work into getting the site prepared, and we're eager to see kids playing on the fields."

All the fields are within a five-mile range, a major selling point for organizers down on the far proximity of fields in the tournament’s previous location, Portland, Maine.

"The thing [the organizers] liked about our site is that everything was centered in a 5-mile area," Turman told the Gazette. "In Maine, some of the fields were located 50 miles away."

The tournament is expected to generate $12-$15 million in income for the area, according to the Gazette.

"We want to put West Virginia in a good light, to show people who might have listened to some of the negative stereotypes about us that we can put on a first-class show," Tur man said.

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