NCAA Women’s College Cup Returns to Cary

Story by Hal Goodtree. Photo of 2006 College Cup in Cary by Jarret Campbell.

Cary, NC – The NCAA has announced that the Division 1 Women’s College Cup will return to Cary in 2013. The College Cup is the championship tournament of NCAA soccer.

NCAA Selects Cary

In a statement from the NCAA:

The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Soccer Committees have selected Philadelphia, Pa., and Cary, N.C., to serve as the hosts for the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships, respectively.

Record Sixth Selection

The 2013 Men’s championship will be hosted by Villanova and played in Philadelphia, a first for the City of Brotherly Love.

Cary will host the tournament on December 6 and 8, 2013 at Wake Med Soccer Park, hosted by Campbell University.

The women’s soccer championship is in Cary for the sixth time, a record for this event. according to the NCAA. Cary previously served as the hosts in 2003, ’04, ’06, ’08 and ’10.

Stadium Expansion Pays Dividends

I was at a RailHawks game last night and the construction of the new seating is well under way. The remodeled stadium will hold about 10,000 fans.

The expansion no doubt helped return the College Cup to Cary. Raising attendance for college soccer is a key goal of the NCAA, and that means bigger venues.

Regions Park in Hoover, AL, the site of last year’s men’s finals, has a capacity of 13,000. UC Santa Barbara drew over 15,000 fans for a match against UCLA.

Economic Impact

The NCAA College Cup brings millions in spending to Cary. Thumbnail estimate: 10,000 fans x $400 a piece = $4,000,000.

Add in events at USA Baseball, Cary Tennis Park and the SAS Championship and we’re talking a lot of money.

Here’s how I understand economic impact: visitors spend the money in hotels and restaurants. Those places hire more people, or work their staff more hours. The workers have more money, some of which goes to meals in Cary, shopping in Cary, a show at Booth Amphitheatre or a new car at AutoParkMall.

Cary – “A Landmark Location”

The NCAA had this to say about Cary:

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to showcase our men’s soccer student-athletes and championship to a new city, as well as return our women’s soccer student-athletes and their championship to a landmark location to compete for a national championship,” said Joni Comstock, NCAA senior vice president of championships and alliances.

Well-earned congratulations to Town of Cary staff, Wake Med Soccer Park, Campbell University, the Cary Sports Alliance and all those who worked to bring the College Cup back to Cary. Score one for the home team.