GREENSBORO, N.C. — More than 500 youth soccer teams kicked off a weekend of tournament games in the Triad. Not only is the Adidas Clash a chance for young players to show off their skills, it also scores some major cash for the region.
"This tournament is, hands down the largest ever youth soccer tournament that we've had at North Carolina Fusion and in Greensboro,” said Gary Gartner, NC Fusion’s Director of Tournaments & Events.
Over the past two days, youth teams have spread across 80 soccer fields in the Triad, competing in pitches in Greensboro, Burlington, Winston-Salem, High Point, and Asheboro.
- Bryan Park Truist Soccer Complex in Browns Summit
- Hine Park in Winston-Salem
- Jamestown Park in High Point
- Sara Lee Complex in Winston-Salem
- Springwood Park in Burlington
- Truist Sports Park in Bermuda Run
- Zoo City Complex in Asheboro
In addition to these venues, the Conference Carolinas Final 4 Men's and Women's Championship happed at Bryan Park's MacPherson Stadium.
"550 plus teams from nine different states,” Gartner said. “25,000 plus visitors all around the Triad. 5,000 plus hotel rooms. So exciting because we're using seven venues."
Gartner said the event is set to rake in around $9 million across the cities, much of which finds its way to food trucks and local businesses.
"So these soccer tournaments are super important to us,” said Sabrina Bianco, who manages The Grinder Cafe. “We love coming here. Sometimes we're here for a week long. Sometimes we're here only for just a couple of days for a smaller tournament, but it's always a huge turnout. So, business-wise, it is definitely very good for us."
That's echoed by Gary Rallo who co-owns Taco Bros food truck. This weekend, the lines were so long that he had to call for backup food supplies.
"Yesterday we had all three of our trucks serving up,” Rallo said. “Today just this [one], but this tournament is huge. We've been pretty busy all day today. It was four hours straight. We have a line nonstop. So it was a pretty good day for us."
For Taco Bros, the boost from this event isn't just nice to have, it helps them stay in business during the winter months.
"We use them to put some money aside so we can survive the slow winter months. That's for sure. We take advantage of this and we make savings out of these busy tournaments,” Rallo said.
Bryan Park has hosted youth soccer tournaments like this for about 40 years. NC Fusion said every year they aim to top the last, a tall order after this year's turnout.
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