Raleigh, N.C. (Oct. 31, 2023) – The visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series is the largest annual youth and amateur sporting event in Wake County. The event returns for kickoff November 4-December 3, 2023, with WRAL Soccer Park serving as the headquarter venue and utilizing multiple surrounding area fields. North Carolina Football Club (NCFC) Youth’s annual visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series commences with the Girls Junior Showcase on Saturday, November 4. Several prominent youth and collegiate soccer events will take place simultaneously in the area including the ACC Women’s Soccer Championship, ACC Men’s Soccer Championship and the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship (College Cup). Combined these events exemplify why Wake County will become the center of the soccer universe over the next month.

NCFC Youth is one of the country's largest and most notable soccer clubs and has been a longstanding contributor to area tourism. The club was recently honored with the prestigious John B. Ross Leadership Award at the 2023 GRCVB Annual Meeting in recognition of their remarkable contributions to both Wake County tourism and the local community. This recognition comes as the club approaches its 50^th anniversary in 2024, marking nearly a half-century of dedicated service.

“We are looking forward to welcoming teams from across the country for our annual visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series. The generations of leadership at NCFC Youth have built up the event from a single weekend in 1982 to an event that now spans 4 weekends,” said Gary Buete, NCFC Youth CEO. “The growth and support of our hospitality community – from hotels, and restaurants, to entertainment around town – along with the investment into field development throughout our area has helped ensure that our tournament can sustain for years to come and that visitors have a great experience while they are here.”

As the largest youth sporting event held in the Triangle, NCFC Youth’s visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series is expected to attract more than 1,350 teams from across the country to play over four weekends of competition. Around 1,000 college coaches are expected to attend for recruiting purposes, bringing an estimated total of over 72,000 visitors to the Greater Raleigh area, equaling over 32,000 total room nights and an estimated $27.8 million in economic impact.

“The visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series is a massive economic impact event for this market,” said Scott Dupree, Executive Director of the GRSA. “In fact, it’s the largest annual sporting event anywhere in the Triangle, based on hotel room nights, and there really isn’t a close second. It’s a signature event with a sterling reputation nationally, and we are proud to partner with NCFC Youth in order to help make it happen.”

The complete lineup of events can be found here:

Visit this link to find more information about the visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series events.

About the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA):
A division of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Raleigh) – the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA) markets and promotes Raleigh and all of Wake County to generate and/or retain sports-related businesses (tournaments, championships, special events and meetings) for the purpose of economic development. Raleigh, N.C./Wake County welcomes nearly 18 million visitors annually whose spending tops $3 billion. The visitor economy supports over 24,500 local jobs in Wake County and generates $287 million in state and local tax revenues, saving each Wake County household $601 in taxes annually. raleighsports.org

About North Carolina Football Club Youth:
Founded in 1974, North Carolina FC Youth is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Raleigh, NC committed to providing positive, high quality soccer opportunities at all levels of play for youth and their families and to serve as a valuable community partner. With more than 16,000 players and more than 1,500 coaches each year, it is the largest club in North Carolina offering a full spectrum of soccer programs from recreation up through the highest levels of play. Through innovative soccer programming, player development opportunities, and a focus on coaching education, NCFC Youth creates an environment for both players and coaches alike to grow on and off the field. ncfcyouth.com

Media Contacts:
Visit Raleigh
Dana Canby, Public Relations and International Tourism Manager
919.830.1289
dcanby@visitRaleigh.com

NCFC Youth
Katharine Eberhardt, Chief Marketing & Development Officer
919.757.3749
Katharine.Eberhardt@NCFCyouth.com

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