Nearly 300 teams from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia and Michigan have registered. The teams are staying in hotels from the Dayton Mall down to the Interstate 275 loop and across to the Hamilton area, Stites said.
In anticipation of the crowds, she said she has talked to numerous restaurant managers and told them to expect higher than normal dinner crowds throughout the weekend.
Proceeds from the tournament are used to maintain the local soccer fields, purchase equipment and reduce player fees during the soccer season, Stites said.
The tournament begins at 8 a.m. Saturday and concludes with championship games at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Games will be played at Smith Park and Jacot Park in Middletown as well as Franklin Community Park in Franklin.
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There are seven fields in Franklin; 25 field at Smith Park; and five fields at Jacot Park, she said.
This is the 20th year for the soccer tournament and the cold and wet weather predicted for the weekend won’t deter the action, Stites said.
In the tournament’s first year, the players woke up Saturday morning to find three inches of snow covering the fields. The games continued even though players couldn’t see the sidelines, Stites said.
There were 60 teams that first year and 294 teams have registered this year. The players range from 9 to 19 years old.
Stites said the Middletown Spring Blast has grown in popularity because it’s one of the first tournaments of the year and out-of-state teams like playing on natural grass fields.
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