Soccer gridlock returns: Extreme Cup brings 24,000 visitors, packed roads to the Wasatch Back

The Extreme Cup is returning to town with youth soccer games being played throughout two counties. Photo: courtesy of the Park City Soccer Club

PARK CITY, Utah — If your weekend errand runs feel longer than usual over the next three days, there’s a good reason.

The annual Park City Extreme Cup kicks off Thursday, bringing more than 24,000 visitors to the Wasatch Back and turning roads, hotels, and soccer fields into the center of one of the Intermountain West’s largest youth sports events.

Drivers should expect heavier-than-normal traffic Thursday through Saturday, especially between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Officials say the biggest congestion points will be:

SR-224 at the Deer Valley Drive/Park Avenue intersection
SR-248 along Kearns Boulevard

Motorists are encouraged to allow extra travel time, avoid peak travel periods if possible, and consider alternate routes.

Hosted by the Park City Soccer Club, the Extreme Cup has become one of the region’s premier youth soccer tournaments while serving as the club’s largest annual fundraiser. Tournament proceeds support the club’s scholarship program, which helps make soccer accessible to local children. This year, the tournament is expected to surpass $1 million in net fundraising over its history benefiting youth in the Park City community.

The scale of the event is hard to overstate.

Over the next three days, more than 450 teams will compete in more than 800 matches spread across 40-plus fields at 13 venues throughout Summit and Wasatch counties.

Approximately 8,000 players, coaches, and referees will participate, with teams traveling from Utah, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. Guest players are also arriving from as far away as Florida and Ohio.

Pulling off an event of that size requires an enormous volunteer effort.

About 250 referees will officiate matches, while organizers estimate the tournament takes more than 4,500 hours of manpower during tournament week. The tournament’s executive committee spends more than 2,600 hours each year planning the event.

Beyond the fields, the tournament provides a significant boost to the local economy.

According to Park City Soccer Club surveys, visitors spend more than $2.9 million locally on lodging, restaurants, retail, entertainment, and fuel during the tournament. Newpark Hotel has also served as tournament headquarters for more than a decade.

The tournament comes as the Park City Soccer Club enters a new chapter under Executive Director David Younkin, who recently told TownLift the club is focused on expanding opportunities for local athletes while continuing to grow community events like the Extreme Cup.

For residents, that means one thing this weekend: expect full parking lots, busy restaurants and slower travel on many of the Wasatch Back’s busiest roads as thousands of young athletes and their families take over the region through Saturday.