Gov. Jim Justice announced today that West Virginia has been selected to host the 2019 U.S. Youth Soccer Eastern Regional Championships, as well as the 2019 and 2020 Eastern Presidents Cup. Games will take place at the Barboursville Soccer Complex in Cabell County and the new Shawnee Park Sports Complex in Kanawha County.
Joined by officials from U.S. Youth Soccer, the West Virginia Soccer Association and city, county and state representatives, Gov. Justice said the tournaments will provide a tremendous boost to the economy while at the same time exposing thousands of young athletes and their families to the state and its many offerings.
“The economic benefit for West Virginia that will be generated by these three tournaments is estimated at $32 million,” said Gov. Justice. “This is huge for our economy and a great opportunity for thousands of young people and their families to experience the many wonderful things West Virginia has to offer. We want them to have a fantastic time while they are here and certainly hope they will return in the future to continue to explore Almost Heaven.”
Barboursville has previously hosted regional soccer championships for U.S. Youth Soccer and its decision to return to West Virginia speaks volumes, Gov. Justice added.
“Thank you to U.S. Youth Soccer for choosing West Virginia, you’ve been here before and obviously like our facilities and hospitality,” Gov. Justice said. “And thank you to the West Virginia Soccer Association and all of our city, county and state officials for working diligently to bring these major youth sporting events back to West Virginia. We’ve got a lot to offer and this announcement that hundreds of teams from 15 states will be coming again just confirms that we are doing the right things in our state to promote sports tourism and bring visitors to the Mountain State that might not otherwise come. It shines a bright light on West Virginia.”
