Alternative soccer league hopes to start open women’s division
by Emily Atwood
More than 350 people across the Tri-Valley have come to love a sport called futsal. Yet Tri-Valley Futsal Vice President Art Garcia says even that’s not many.
Futsal (also called five-a-side soccer) is like indoor soccer, only it’s played on an indoor basketball court and uses boundaries, not walls. Each team has five players on the court and the game has 22-minute halves. The goalie area is within the three-point line and besides kicking the ball inbounds instead of throwing it, all the other rules of outdoor soccer apply.
According to the U.S. Futsal Federation Web site, the game originated in Uruguay in 1930 as a youth competition for the YMCA. The name comes from the Spanish or Portuguese word for soccer (futbol/futebol) and the French or Spanish word for indoor (salon/sala).
Garcia said it’s a fast-paced game with a lot more back and forth touches. With leagues for every age group, he said it can be “the perfect compliment to the outdoor season,” adding that it helps perfect soccer technique and skill.
They also expect it to becoming an Olympic sport soon, as the U.S. already has an active national team and the sport has worldwide popularity.
Tri-Valley Futsal’s open division is highly competitive and they’re looking to add an open women’s division.
“We’re very newcomer friendly,” Garcia said. “It’s a great idea if you have a group of 10 or 12 friends that you want to get together with on a regular basis for a workout–register as two teams.”
The spring season runs from Feb. 15 to April 30.
For more information or to register with the Tri-Valley league and the federation, visit www.tri-valleyfutsal.com or e-mail tri-valleyfustal@comcast.net.
