By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

BIRMINGHAM – Over a two-weekend period, spanning March 5-6 and March 12-13, Birmingham and Shelby County will be inundated with more than 300 youth soccer teams from 12 states, as the Birmingham United Soccer Association is hosting the 17^th annual Red Diamond Classic over those weekends. The tournament, which will host teams of age groups from U9 to U16, has continued to grow since its inception, especially over the last half decade.

“It’s grown from where it was originally a one-weekend event with 120 teams to now with 320 teams over two weekends,” Adam Brower, executive director of BUSA, said in a Feb. 24 phone interview. “It’s really something that has continued to grow, especially over the last three or four years.”

The Birmingham-based soccer club was created in 2006-07, when the Mountain Brook Soccer Club merged with the Shelby County club, which was called the America Soccer Club. Both clubs put on the Red Diamond Classic at that time, then called the Red Diamond Vulcan Cup, in the days before BUSA was created. Now that BUSA puts on the tournament, the event has transformed into one of the premier soccer tournaments across the southeast.

A part of the reason for the boom in numbers, according to Brower, is the increase in interest for the game of soccer in general, as well as the relationships and partnerships BUSA has built over the last decade with different clubs and sponsors. The tournament itself also has a large impact on the local economy, according to Brower.

“The economic studies show that we contributed over $7 million to the local economy,” Brower said. “It’s really exciting to get to bring people here. We’re spoiled with good facilities and if you throw that in with the fact the event is really well run and well supported, it creates a great environment.”

The boys’ tournaments will be held the first weekend, from March 5-6, while the girls will play the following weekend. All of the tournaments throughout each age group are set up for round robin group play, and some end in a final while some do not. In any particular age group, there are upwards of five to six divisions within that age group, making sure each team has the opportunity to play diverse and well-tailored competition.

Brower also said that Kevin Laux, the boys director of soccer operations and the tournament director for BUSA, plays an instrumental role in getting this tournament off the ground. This event that Laux and BUSA put on is not only a great catalyst for the local economy, but also provides an opportunity for locals to get a snapshot of soccer talent from across the Southeast, according to Brower.

“I think a lot of people just don’t realize how much sports tourism plays a role in the infrastructure of the economy,” Brower said. “It’s a great event for the city.”

For more information on the Red Diamond Classic, visit the BUSA website at Birminghamunited.com.