When the U.S. Youth Soccer Region I Championships kick off at the end of June, tournament organizers anticipate that the event will not only bring thousands of visitors to the Portland area.

The organizers also anticipate the regional tournament will bring a huge amount of money to the Portland, Falmouth and Brunswick areas.

The U.S. Youth Soccer Association predicts that the U.S. Youth Soccer Region I Championships will provide $9 million to the greater Portland area in a seven-day span. The tournament begins June 28 and concludes with the regional championship games on July 3, and it includes teams in the Under-12 to Under-19 age groups.

According to U.S. Youth Soccer and Soccer Maine, the state's governing body of amateur soccer, an estimated 15,000 people will attend the tournament, which will include 244 state champions from 15 state associations -- the largest youth soccer tournament ever to be played in Maine.

Bowdoin College, Falmouth High School and Falmouth Park will host tournament games that will draw teams from Connecticut, Delaware, Eastern New York, Eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York West, Pennsylvania West, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.

Godfrey Wood, executive director of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, sees the potential for both short-term and long-term gain for the Portland area.

"When you get this number of people coming to Maine, they can see what a great place this is to live and work and may decide to move here," Wood said. "There are business possibilities, that someone may want to start a branch of a business here. The more obvious benefits are that people will be staying in local hotels, motels and inns, dining in restaurants and shopping." The figure, Wood said, will be the money that comes from the cost of lodging, retail services, fuel and dining.

The city has also hosted the American Hockey League All-Star Game and the Eastern League All-Star Game, and the Maine High School Hockey Coaches Invitational hosts a week-long round-robin tournament in Portland, Biddeford, Yarmouth and Falmouth that draws teams from the East Coast and Canada.

Wood, however, said he cannot recall an youth sports tournament like the U.S. Youth Soccer Region I tournament coming to the Portland area.

Todd Roby, U.S. Youth Soccer's manager of communications, explained that the formula for estimating the amount of money each host region will make is based on the number of teams that are coming to the regional tournament, the number of participants in each tournament and the number of spectators -- numbers that U.S. Youth Soccer estimated at 282, 5,000 and 10,000 for the Region I tournament.

In addition to Portland, U.S. Youth Soccer also anticipates that the Region II tournament will bring in $7 million to the Des Moines, Iowa, area; the Region III tournament will bring in $10 million to the Oklahoma City area, and Region IV tournament will bring in $14 million into the Las Vegas area.

"The biggest thing for us is that it's not a problem of working with an area's chamber of commerce," Roby said. "It's getting the community to understand that it's not just a little match and it's not just kids coming in and playing soccer. These players are future national players and collegiate players in the United States, and it's about promoting the awareness of the event."

A year ago, four regions averaged $7.25 million as a result of hosting the four U.S. Youth Soccer regional tournaments. The Region I tournament in Virginia Beach, Va., brought in $7 million; the Region II tournament in the Fox Cities, Wis., brought in $6.5 million; the Region III tournament in North Little Rock, Ark., brought in $9 million and the Region IV tournament in Boise, Idaho, brought in $6.5 million.

"The businesses love it," Roby said. "They love it, and the people in that area who have an affinity for soccer love it."

Roby said that while the area will benefit, U.S. Youth Soccer's goal is to promote the tournament and its purpose.

Economic impact of the U.S. Youth Soccer regional tournaments on host cities for the past three years:

2004: Region I, Rhode Island: $10 million Region II, Rockford, Ill.: $6.5 million Region III, Austin, Texas: $10 million Region IV, Spokane, Wash.: $9.5 million

2005: Region I, Virginia Beach, Va.: $6 million Region II, Sioux Falls, S.D.: $8.5 million Region III, Frisco, Texas: $9 million Region IV, Aurora, Colo.: $9 million

2006 Region I: Virginia Beach, Va.: $7 million Region II, The Fox Cities, Wisc.: $6.5 million Region III: North Little Rock, Ark.: $9 million Region IV: Boise, Idaho: $6.5 million

Teams that have qualified for the U.S. Youth Soccer Region I Championships:

New Jersey -- PARTIALLY COMPLETED (June 10, 2007) U11 Boys NJSA04 Celtic, Hamilton Square U12 Boys PDA Harkes (Zarepath) U13 Boys NJSA04 Gunners (Matawan) U14 Boys Pasco Stallions (Wayne) U11 Girls PDA Slammers (Zarepath) U12 Girls PDA Celtic (Zarepath) U13 Girls Mount Laurel (Power Montclair) U14 Girls PDA Tsunami (Zarepath) Virginia - PARTIALLY COMPLETED (June 3, June 10) U15 Boys Richmond Strikers Elite (Richmond) U16 Boys VA Rush Nike (Virginia Beach) U17 Boys Richmond Kickers Elite (Richmond) U18 Boys BRYC Premier 88 (Fairfax) U15 Girls Vista Fury (Woodbridge) U16 Girls Chantilly FCV Netforce (Chantilly) U17 Girls Richmond Strikers Elite (Richmond) U18 Girls BRYC Fury (Fairfax) YET TO BE PLAYED: Connecticut - June 4 Delaware - April, May 20, June 3 U16 Girls KSC Blue Monkeys (New Castle) U17 Girls HSC Frost (New Castle) U18 Girls KSC Phantoms (New Castle) Maine - May 20, June 3 Maryland - June 2 Massachusetts - June 17 New Hampshire - June 3 New York East - June 3 New York West - June 3 (tentative) Pennsylvania East - May 20 Pennsylvannia West - June 3 Rhode Island - May 13, June 5 Vermont - June 3 West Virginia - May 20

Source: U.S. Youth Soccer