âWeâll have 318 teams this year,â said John Ankeney, Beavercreek Soccer Association executive director and tournament director. âWe have divided them up so they will be evenly matched.â
The games will be held at Hobson Freedom Park and Ankeney Soccer Complex. The facilities are roughly six miles from each other with U.S. 35 running between them. This is where traffic back ups could develop.
âFlow is the most difficult part,â Ankeney said. âDeputies help with directing traffic during the tournament.â
Jim Martin, who lives near both tournament locations said it makes it difficult for him to turn from his street.
âAnytime we have a sporting event nearby it can take five minutes for us to get a break so we can turn.â
Even though the tournament may cause headaches for the weekend. It has a major economic impact on the area. It brings in more than $3 million each year.
Ankeney Soccer Complex will be the primary location for the games. It has more than 100 acres of land and has up to 50 fields including full-size and small-size fields.
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