Redding hosts its biggest regional tournament yet
North State teams descend on the city as youth and travel-league play expands past the Bay Area and LA basin.
For most of its history, North State youth and travel-league tournament play has meant a drive south — to Sacramento, the Bay Area, or further. That changes this weekend, when Redding hosts its largest regional tournament to date.
More than 60 teams from as far as Eureka and Chico are expected across the weekend, filling nearly every hotel room within city limits. Organizers say it's the clearest sign yet that the region's youth sports infrastructure has caught up to demand.
“We used to lose kids to programs that could actually offer tournament experience,” one local club director said. “Now we're the ones hosting it.”
City officials estimate the tournament's economic impact at close to $400,000 over the weekend, between lodging, dining, and gas — numbers local business owners have been anticipating for months.