Have soccer players replaced baseball players as “The Boys (and Girls) of Summer?”

With the buzz about the U.S. victory in the World Cup opening round and rising numbers of youth soccer players in Traverse City, there’s evidence to suggest that’s true in TC and across the country.

The Traverse Bay Area Youth Soccer (TBAYS) program has seen steady growth over its 25 years, according to Director of Administration Patti Leasure. This year there are roughly 2,000 boys and girls in the program, ranging in age from 4 to 18 years of age.

TBAYS operates teams in Juniors (ages 4 to 7), Youth (7 to 12) Youth Travel (12-18) and North Storm (10 to 18) divisions. There are roughly 480 young players on 50 Junior teams, a record number, according to Leasure. “There’s been constant growth in soccer, not only in Traverse City and Michigan, but in the whole country,” says Leasure.

Soccer’s popularity is most evident when TBAYS holds its two major tournaments – the Cherry Capital Cup each May and the Autumn Classic in September. In May, the program hosted a record number of 200 teams from across Michigan and Canada.

That brings a lot of action to the TBAYS soccer complex on Keystone Road, a few miles south of downtown TC. Built in 1996, the 74-acre complex can host up to 21 regulation size soccer fields, plus 20 smaller grids for the Juniors. “The property is actually a county park that we lease,” explains Leasure. “We’re responsible for all upkeep of the property.”

With thousands of players, coaches and parents flocking to TC twice a year, the tourneys have a major economic impact. The tourneys draw such a crowd that it was hard for some teams to find accommodations in TC, according to Leasure. “Some teams had to stay out of town at Shanty Creek and Crystal Mountain resorts,” she says.

“The TBAYS tournaments give Traverse City’s tourism economy a big boost during two months when hotel occupancy tends to be lower than during high summer,” says Mike Norton of Traverse City Tourism. “Obviously, these events don’t just benefit hotels and motels. Everybody – restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, video rental places – is able to enjoy a little more business than they’d otherwise have. Recruiting and encouraging sports events, especially those that can be here in the off season, is one of our major goals now.”

TBAYS is in the process of holding several events to celebrate its 25 years in operation. The league is also accepting registrations for its fall program. In August it will hold a used equipment sale. To learn more, visit tbays.org.

A recent ESPN poll shows that Major League Soccer (MSL) has caught Major League Baseball in popularity among young Americans. The poll also determined that soccer was America’s second most popular sport (behind NFL) for those ages 12 to 24, ahead of NBA, MLB and college football.