The Park City Soccer Club runs the annual event. Executive Director Shelley Gillwald said more than 30,000 people will descend on the area this week.
She said almost 500 teams will bring about 9,000 players and coaching staff. An additional 25,000 spectators are expected as well. That’s equivalent to the event’s pre-pandemic numbers.
The Extreme Cup is marking its 21st year this July. It would be number 22 if not for 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the three-day tournament, teams will play 864 games on 44 fields at 16 venues in Park City, Heber, Oakley and Francis.
Gillwald said nearly all the teams are from within the state, a majority coming from the Wasatch Front.
The thousands of players, coaches and supporters are expected to give the area lodging industry a boost.
“About 54% of those say that they stay at least one night,” she said. “We market the tournament as a staycation, an opportunity to get out of the heat in the valley,”
She said 17% of teams are from the Wasatch Back. An estimated 20% are from St. George, Logan or out-of-state.
Gillwald said an economic impact study it commissioned has shown the tournament creates $3 million in direct spending and that those numbers hold steady year-over-year.
It’s also the foundation of Park City Soccer Club’s scholarship program, which Gillwald calls “robust.” Over 100 local kids are currently receiving the program's financial aid.
“This year, we're looking at about $140,000 in scholarship awards, but the tournament itself has generated over $1 million in scholarship support since its beginning,” she said. “I know it can be a little bit of an inconvenience for the people in our community with the traffic, but it does a whole lot of good for the kids of our community.”
The mammoth undertaking requires an estimated 4,000 volunteer hours and 250 referees to put on.
Park City Municipal encourages visitors and locals alike to walk, bus or bike during the high-traffic tournament weekend.
The Park City Extreme Cup runs Thursday, July 25, through Saturday July 27.
