A youth soccer tournament coming to Butler County in May is expected to bring thousands of tourists and fans.

The U.S. Youth Soccer organization will have its President’s Cup tournament in Slippery Rock and in Cranberry Township from May 23-26. The group will use both North Boundary and Graham parks in Cranberry and a field at Slippery Rock University.

The tournament, which travels to different locations, will be in the county again in 2015.

It is expected to bring in more than 100 teams from across the Mid-Atlantic region with each team having about 15 players. About 15 states will be represented.

Officials with the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau estimate that more than 1,100 hotel rooms will be booked each night of the tournament.

The tournament here is one of several that will be held simultaneously around the country. The winners of each tournament will face off in July for the President’s Cup national championship in South Carolina.

The tournament will have both boys and girls teams representing each age group from 12-17. As of now, the age groups for under-12, under-15, under-16, and under-17-year-olds will play at Slippery Rock, while under-13 and under-14-year-olds will play at Graham Park.

There are no games currently scheduled at North Boundary Park, according to the group’s website.

Amy Pack, director of tourism development for the tourism bureau, was instrumental in bringing the tournament here.

She said tourism officials have been working with tournament directors to ensure there are enough hotel rooms to accommodate everyone coming for the event.

“We’re excited to showcase Butler County and our sports facilities to these soccer families who are traveling from approximately 15 states,” Pack said. “These families will be visiting our restaurants, shops, entertainment venues and other tourism sites.”

Tim McCoy, executive director of the Pennsylvania West Soccer Association, said the majority of the tournament will be played at Slippery Rock.

He said that officials chose Butler County because everything was here such as hotels and a number of fields.

The area’s parks and the number of available fields in those parks was another big factor in the tournament coming here, he said.

“We don’t want to be playing on 20 different fields in 20 different locations,” McCoy said. “We want to have a certain amount of fields available so we can have the manpower at each site so everything goes as planned.”

McCoy added that a subregional tournament came to Cranberry Township about five years ago, and that everyone with the U.S. Youth Soccer organization was pleased with how it went.

“I think everybody’s excited,” McCoy said about this year’s tournament.

Cranberry manager Jerry Andree said that the township is no stranger to hosting large events, especially in its parks.

“Our primary focus is having premiere public parks,” he said. “We often have to turn down more people than we accept.”

Andree added there will also be a local lacrosse tournament in the township’s parks that weekend, which is Memorial Day weekend.

“Memorial Day weekend is going to be hopping in Cranberry,” he said, “which is obviously good for our hotels and restaurants.”