Courtesy: Sport 360°


GOING OUT: Are you the UAE's next Super team?

Wednesday, 26 January 2011

It’s going to be an event you will remember. And want to take part in again, and again.

The Sport360° Futsal Super Cup takes place from February 10-12, so make a note of the date.

Sport360° and Stadia5 Futsal have joined forces to introduce this inaugural five-a-side tournament to be played within the intimate surroundings of Soccer Circus in Mirdif.

The tournament will primarily focus on youth with two categories of Under 18 and Under 15 but there is also an adult division.

Youths and adults alike have very little opportunity to participate in such events, compared to their junior counterparts, who have numerous leagues and competitions throughout the year, run by a variety of sports academies.

It’s with this in mind that Sport360° joined forces with Stadia5, to encourage youngsters to play more football especially in an environment where the game can be played all through the year.

There is a necessity to grow Futsal in Dubai, and the UAE, at a grassroots level. Research has shown that Brazil, Argentina, Japan and recently Spain, produce highly technical players because Futsal is an imperative part of their overall football programme.

The Sport360° Super Cup, managed by Stadia5, has already attracted a huge amount of interest, from all walks of life in Dubai, a true reflection of the city’s community as a whole.

The people at Stadia5 are, naturally, most excited about this cross culture mix as it really does add an exciting flavour to this event. Too often in Dubai, across many sports, the attraction has been primarily from one community, rather than a broad section.

“It will be great to see footballers recognise how Futsal is an important part of the game,” said Faris Al-Mudaffer of Stadia5.

“We believe that Futsal is the future. Spain adopted it in 1989 as an integral part of their player development programme and that could have been one reason for their World Cup Victory.

“It is a form of football we want to adopt and see it grow in Dubai and the UAE,” added Al-Mudaffer, who along with his partner Wosim Tahan, has quickly established quite a following, running both Adult and Youth Futsal Leagues.

All teams will qualify for the knockout stage of the event, but their positioning in the knockout stage will be determined by their results during the group stages which are played over one day.

So it is imperative to take all group matches very seriously, otherwise a top team will be facing another top team in the knockout stage.

This format, as it usually does, leads to some potential upsets. “We have had some funny results in the past doing these types of events. So, it is important that all participant teams are well and truly ready come kickoff time,” says Al-Mudaffer.

The Sport360° Super Cup has attracted, in a short space of time, sponsors from all sectors of the industry. The support from corporate Dubai for this event has been fantastic.

“My intention has always been to marry corporate Dubai with grassroots sports,” Al-Mudaffer says.

“Although Sport360 is a daily sports newspaper that covers major events, they also believe that grassroots sports is important, and that it deserves coverage. They have been very supportive in putting this event together with Stadia5,” added Al-Mudaffer.

Soccer Circus, the venue where the Sport360° Futsal Super Cup will be held, is located at Mirdif City Centre mall at Playnation.

The tension and intensity of the event promises drama and excitement. As the campaign asks you to ‘Rise to the Challenge’, the question is, have you and your teammates, got what it takes?

Registration and inquiries for the Sport360° Stadia5 Futsal tournament can be made online by contacting info@stadia5.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 04-4470711. For details on their leagues and events log on to www.stadia5.com


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com