TSSAA girls soccer championships kicked off on Wednesday

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)-The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Girls Soccer State Championships made its way back to the Scenic City. 

“We are in the first round of games right now we are in the quarterfinals, so we will have quarterfinals today at our three venues, which is where we are right now, Chattanooga Christian school, the Baylor school and Girls Preparatory School,” said Cassidy Brinkley, with Chattanooga Tourism,

The Girls Soccer Championships have been held in Chattanooga for more than 4 years.

Brinkley believes hosting this event is great for the city’s economic growth. 

“There is a lot of pride for our community having these events right here in our own backyard. But then there is also the economic impact involved in bringing these teams and their families from across the state to Chattanooga for this event,” said Brinkley. “So this event alone has about a $1.7 million economic impact, and so that is obviously why it would be high on our target list for bringing the event to town.” 

Throughout Chattanooga, More than 2,000 female athletes will compete in the Soccer Championships. 

Eric Preszler, Athletic Director at CCS considers it an honor  to welcome various high schools to their facility. 

“It is Just an honor and privilege to be able to host other schools and off the opportunity for them to come from all corners of the state and partner with the TSSAA and Chattanooga Sports to put on this event and hopefully create a great experience for these schools and these student athletes to visit the Chattanooga area and playing in a great setup that gives an opportunity to compete for state championship,” said Preszler. 

Preszler says it’s important to not only serve community members, but the state of Tennessee 

“We just feel like it’s part of our role as a school to be able to serve the community. And you know, been able to serve more than just the City of Chattanooga, the entire state, and how these schools come in and experience this great city and what it all have to offer is a great opportunity for us, and so we’re just have to be able to serve that process,” Preszler concluded.