KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) — The Shawnee Sports Complex and the Barboursville Soccer Complex has been awarded the 2022 US Youth Soccer Eastern Regional Championships and Eastern Presidents Cup.
The Shawnee Sports Complex and the Barboursville Soccer Complex successfully co-hosted both the Presidents Cup and the Eastern Regional Championship in 2019. During this time, Kanawha County and the state saw a significant economic impact from these events.
The USYS East Region includes Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The dates for the tournaments are Presidents Cup, June 17-21, 2022, and Eastern Regional Championship, June 24-30, 2022.
“I am thrilled to announce that we have been awarded the bid to co-host the 2022 USYS Eastern Regional Championship and the Eastern Region Presidents Cup. Covid-19 has brought extreme hardships for everyone in our communities, but we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. This announcement is one of many things we now can look forward to in the coming years,” said Ben Salango with the Kanawha County Commission. “We, along with WV Soccer Association, have worked so well with US Youth Soccer, and this shows the confidence they have in us to continue to host these major events. These tournaments alone will have an estimated economic impact of $28 million dollars. That is in addition to the $8 million economic impact we are expecting from the 2021 Presidents Cup. I want to sincerely thank US Youth Soccer for selecting us yet again to host these events.”
“Today’s announcement is welcome news for Kanawha County and all of West Virginia. I applaud Ben Salango and the Kanawha County Commission and the West Virginia Soccer Association for their efforts to bring the 2022 USYS Eastern Regional Championship and the Eastern Region Presidents Cup to the Mountain State. I look forward to seeing the thousands of young athletes visit our state next year and will continue to work with Kanawha County Commission to ensure they receive the support needed to make both tournaments successful,” said Senator Joe Manchin.
“The announcement of these tournaments at Shawnee is great news. Bringing families to our facility and boosting the economy is exactly what the Shawnee Sports Complex was designed for,” said Commissioner Lance Wheeler.
Commissioner Kent Carper noted, “We are thrilled to welcome thousands of visitors to Kanawha County and the Shawnee Sports Complex. We are already working overtime to make the 2022 tournaments the biggest and best yet.”