CAYSA DRAWS 89 TEAMS TO CLASSIC

The largest soccer tournament ever in Cape Girardeau will begin today at Shawnee Soccer Park.

Eighty-nine teams and about 1,500 players will participate on 14 fields in the ninth annual Cape Area Youth Soccer Association Fall Classic, sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield and the Southeast Missourian.

Fifty-three coed teams, with players ranging from first grade to eighth grade, and 36 girls teams, with players ranging from first grade to 12th grade, will start play today at 8 a.m.

Play will end around 3 p.m. today and begin again Sunday at 8 a.m. Championship matches will be played Sunday afternoon.

The tournament has grown steadily since its inception, said tournament director Michael Frank. Three years ago the tournament featured 48 teams. Last year it had 75, 14 less than this year.

The recreational all-star tournament will draw players from throughout southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and the St. Louis area, Frank said.

The tournament also provides a boost to the hospitality industry in Cape Girardeau the surrounding cities. Frank said that hotels from Perryville to Sikeston will be full this weekend. And local restaurants will have extra employees on hand, he said.