US Youth Soccer Tournaments Offer Windfalls to Host Cities

The 2009 Region IV Championships held in Alberquerque, New Mexico last June 15-21 added more than $15 million to the local economy, for example. The Region III Championships that were held from June 17-23 brought $7.5 million to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

$9.6 million was pumped into the Beavercreek and Dayton, Ohio economies by the Region II Championships between June 25 and June 30, while the Region 1 event brought a windfall of $12.5 million to Barboursville, West Virginia.

These things, of course, are notoriously difficult to calculate, but economic impact considers such factors as hotel rooms, meals in restaurants, gas purchased at local gas stations and anciliarly tourist activities that visiting soccer families might do when thet're not actually playing in games.