Soccer tournament brings large numbers of people to Columbus
Fifty-two teams from across 3 states have come to the friendly city for the tournament.
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Hundreds of families arrive in Columbus this weekend for the Columbus Orthopedic Riverwalk Spring Soccer Invitational.
Fifty-two teams from across 3 states have come to the friendly city for the tournament.
Director of Golden Triangle Elite Jason Spears said they are hoping to instill a love of soccer into kids in the area.
“The biggest thing is just to really rejuvenate the love of soccer in our community and to get more kids interested in it so we can have bigger tournaments and more kids not only playing recreational but also getting into the competitive side so that we can continue to bring players from all over into our friendly city,” Spears said.
But this influx of people also has other benefits for the city… an economic boost.
“People are driving in and are going to be staying in the hotels tonight,” Spears said.
he says most of the hotels in the area are booked through the weekend and that’s good news for Columbus.
“People are going to be walking downtown, eating, and maybe enjoying the concert that’s going on over next door. It’s going to be a great time and a great impact for this community,” Spears said.
Greg Lewis is the Director of the Columbus Recreation Department. He said he hopes to host more tournaments in soccer and other sports.
“When it comes to soccer, I feel really really overwhelmed and I feel good because it’s been a while since we’ve had this many people with soccer in our city,” Lewis said.
Lewis says they hope to make the tournament an annual event.
