Expect no room in the region at end of month

More than 12,000 people are expected to attend the U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Region Championship Tournament this month, but they may be out of luck if they don’t have hotel reservations.

Nearly every hotel in the area is booked during that time, said Spokane Hotel-Motel Association President Ron Anderson. In addition to the soccer tournament June 21-26, Spokane will hold Hoopfest on June 26 and 27. And the Ironman Triathlon is coming to Coeur d’Alene on June 27.

“It’s busy,” Anderson said. “From the 19th of June until the 29th of June, it’s almost impossible to get a room anywhere in Spokane County. I’m sure there are a few rooms out there, but for the most part, the city, the Valley and the unincorporated areas are all full.”

Meanwhile, the soccer tournament organizers are busy preparing for the 240 teams expected. The last piece of the puzzle, a concession stand that has stood half-finished for two years, is nearly complete.

The Spokane Valley Junior Soccer Association had hoped the building would be finished by the end of May, said Plantes Ferry Park soccer director George Skidmore. While the building should be ready for the tournament, there may be some things left to complete after the tournament is over.

“It’s a work in progress, and we’re going to work right up to the tournament,” Skidmore said. “There will be a little lipstick and rouge we might want to add after it.”

The soccer association has signed contracts with Subway and Pepsi to provide food and drink at the complex. “Once the building’s up, they have the concession contract,” Skidmore said. “They’ll be open for events.”

Skidmore also said he believes the association has solved the parking problems anticipated for the tournament. The sports complex has only 600 parking stalls and they frequently are full during events. East Valley High School will allow tournament-goers to use its parking lot; they will be shuttled to the playing fields.

The owner of a new espresso stand at Trent and Woodlawn also has agreed to provide overflow parking spaces, Skidmore said. “I believe there are about 200 parking spots,” he said. “There’s a whole acre behind it. They could walk from there.”

But all that parking won’t be free. The soccer association, which is a nonprofit organization, plans to ask for donations of $7 per event or $30 for a week’s parking pass good at both Plantes Ferry Park and the secondary tournament site at the polo fields near Spokane International Airport.

The association still needs volunteers to do everything from bringing water to players to helping clean up. Anyone who is interesting is asked to call (509) 922-7910.

“We’re going to need a couple hundred volunteers,” Skidmore said. “We don’t know how many we have yet.”