Women's soccer tourney attracted 22,000.
By: Lauren B. Cooper (Birmingham Business Journal).
Organizers of the 2007 Futbol Internacional soccer tournament, held in the state late last month, said the six-city tour attracted more than 22,000 fans and generated $2.4 million in economic impact, mainly in Birmingham.
National women's soccer teams from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, China and Trinidad and Tobago attended the week-long event, which kicked off April 22 in Birmingham at Legion Field.
Organized by SilverStone International and the Alabama Youth Soccer Association, proceeds from the event will go towards funding youth soccer in under-served areas in the state, said a news release.
During the week, the teams saw crowds of roughly 10,000 in Birmingham, 5,000 in Huntsville, 3,000 in Decatur and 3,000 in Mobile. The tour also stopped in Tuscaloosa and Montgomery, but crowd figures were not given.
Silverstone President and CEO Nichelle Gainey said the tournament was organized to bring together local and international leaders and raise the profile of international sports in the state, helping Alabama's economic development strategy.