With an estimated 15,000 attendees participating in this event, the tournament is expected to generate $4,350,000 in direct spending for the area, according to statistics from the Visit Albuquerque (Visit Albuquerque).
Region IV includes New Mexico, Alaska, Arizona, California North, California South, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Teams will compete in eight age groups, Under-12 through Under-19, and be divided by gender. The competing teams have been selected in State Cup tournaments throughout Region IV to represent their states at the 2010 U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regional Championships in their age/gender group.
The tournament starts with round-robin games from Monday, June 21 through Wednesday, June 23. This will be followed by a rest day on Thursday and quarterfinals Friday, with semifinals on Saturday and the final matches on Sunday. After playing at the regional level, the winning teams will then move on to US Youth Soccer National Championships to play for national cups.
“We are thrilled to host the 2010 US Youth Soccer Far West Regional Championships and look forward to ensuring a wonderful experience for all of the teams coming to New Mexico…Not only is it a great opportunity to host such a successful event for the participants, but this tournament will generate a significant economic impact for the entire area. Visitors will be drawn by the unique landscape, rich history and hot air ballooning,” said Jim Tilley, Executive Director of the New Mexico Youth Soccer Association (NMYSA).
“We look forward to having the USYS players, their families, and spectators in the Albuquerque area. Albuquerque is becoming a prime destination for sporting events at the regional and national levels, and we hope visitors use the opportunity to get to know the unique and rich heritage that central New Mexico has to offer,” said Dan Ballou, Visit Albuquerque’s Director of Sports Marketing.
For more information on this great event, visit
http://www.regioniv.com/regional.htm.
About U.S. Youth Soccer
U.S. Youth Soccer is an educational, nonprofit organization consisting of over 600,000 administrators and volunteers, over 300,000 coaches and over 3,000,000 players, ages five to 19. It is composed of four regions: the East, Midwest, South, and Far West, with 55 state associations, and is the largest member of the United States Soccer Federation. For more information on U.S. Youth Soccer, visit http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/aboutus/.