The NCAA Lacrosse championships will take place in East Hartford at Rentschler field this weekend.
The best teams from around the country will travel to Connecticut. The championships are set to be a boost in businesses around the Greater Hartford area.
On Thursday, workers were organizing merchandise including t-shirts, hats and everything fans will need to cheer on their favorite team.
Connecticut's Convention and Sports Bureau is expecting between 60,000 to 65,000 fans to fill in at Pratt and Whintey Stadium through the holiday weekend.
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The agency also expects more than $9.7 million in revenue from the games alone for the local economy.
Last year, the NCAA had a few restrictions in place but this year, there are no restrictions and tickets are still available.
"This is the national premier event for men's lacrosse and it's a great win for us to have here in Connecticut," said Bob Murdock, president of Connecticut Convention and Sports Bureau. "We went head to head with football stadiums, bidding for this event and we were able to secure the event for Connecticut."
At least eight lacrosse teams will battle it out on the field during the holiday weekend, with teams coming from several states around the country.
One of the other benefits to having the championship in East Hartford is the exposure for local restaurants, according to East Hartford Mayor Mike Walsh.
"It’s a great time for East Hartford, Rentschler Field is a great venue, we’re going to have three days of world class lacrosse play," Walsh said. "21,000 people on Saturday, 12,000 on Sunday and 21 one more for the finals on Monday, nothing but good stuff."
Tickets are still available and parking will open for fans three hours before the first games. There will also be a Memorial Day parade on Monday before the final games.
