ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – This weekend, over 4,000 athletes and their families will descend on the Creve Coeur Park Soccer Complex, bringing a boost to the local economy with the big US youth soccer tournament.
Soccer teams from 13 states are in the St. Louis region Friday for the kickoff to the US Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships.
“It is the culmination for all of the teams from the Midwest that won their state championships,” said Mike Hayes, operations manager of Creve Coeur Park Soccer Complex. “They’re coming to St. Louis to win the regionals and then advance on to Orlando to compete for the national championship.”
Boys and girls from 13 to 19 years of age are competing for a spot at the 2023 US Youth Soccer National Championships and bringing their family and friends.
Not to mention, more than 10 million to the St. Louis area over the weekend. Club teams from Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, South Dakota, and more converged on Creve Coeur Park Soccer Complex for the second time hosting the tournament in three years.
St. Louis County pointed to the $14 million cost to build the complex in 2018 as turning into an economic generator.
“We have 4,000 plus athletes and their families that come to St. Louis,” Hayes said. “From an economic standpoint, they’re playing here and staying in hotels. The event in 2021, much like this one, yielded more than 10,000 hotel nights during the course of the tournament.”
Games will continue Saturday and Sunday. The players have a day off Monday and resume play on Tuesday, with the Midwest Regional Championships on Wednesday.