TVS Futsal Championships Kolkata 2005

Futsal: the official form for 5A Side football, approved by 'FIFA'

Kolkata, March 30, 2005: Total Sports & Entertainment India brings to you the FIRST EVER FUTSAL CHAMPIONSHIP in India. The Championship christened "TVS Futsal Championships, Kolkata" will be held under the aegis and auspices of The Indian Football Association, W.B.

The event is being held under the title sponsorship of TVS and co-sponsorship of Khadims and Haywards 5000. The electronic media partners are Tara Bangla and Ten Sports and The Statesman is the print media partner. The event was graced by the presence of legendary footballer Mr Baichung Bhutia, who will add the impetus to this grand sports event.

History of Futsal:

The Origin of Futsal can be traced back to Montevideo, Uruguay, 1930; Futsal is the official form of 5-A-Side football, approved by FIFA. The term Futsal is the international term used for the game, which is played by over 12 million players across 100 countries. Brazil is the Futsal hub of the world. Pele and Ronaldo have played Futsal to popularise it. Futsal stretches from Europe to North and Central America to the Caribbean, South America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Such is the popularity of Futsal that today; there is a world cup of Futsal, world club championships amongst other tournaments.

Futsal can be played both indoors and outdoors. Futsal's unique set of rules & regulations makes it an attractive sport for players, spectators and sponsors alike. On an average there are 8 goals scored per game. Such is the importance given by FIFA towards the development of Futsal, that there is a separate section under FIFA for Futsal. On the Asian context FIFA finds the region "Asia" a key area towards the growth of this sport. Out of the 16 courses held across the world towards the development of Futsal, half are held in the Asian Continent.

The TVS Futsal Championships Kolkata 2005:

The initial round of the championship will be played across 19 districts of West Bengal and the city of Kolkata. An interesting format has been structured towards the TVS Futsal Championships, where winners from the district and Para edition get to play against the big boys from the IFA premier league.

District Edition:

This segment of the tournament will witness the participation of a total of 16 clubs from each district, with a total of 304 teams across 19 districts. Winners from each district will be further broke down in to zones, following which winners of the respective zones will play each other to identify the best district team. The district champion will get a wild card to the final round.

The Participating districts are:

Burdwan, Hoogly, Nadia, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Purulia, Birbhum, Bankura, East Midnapur, West Midnapur, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, South Durgapur, North Durgapur, Cooch Bihar, Howrah, Chandannagar, Malda and Murshidabad.

Para Edition:

Kolkata will be segregated into three zones i.e. North, South and Central. A total of 45 teams will participate across the three zones. Winners fro the respective zones will play each other to identify the best para team, who will get a wild card to the final round.

Final Round

Top 6 teams from the Indian Football Association (W.B.) Super Division will participate at this stage. Winners from the district and Para edition will get a wild card to the final round.

The important dates for the Tournament are as follows:

· District Edition: 16th April - 28th May

· Para Edition: 24th May - 27th May

· Finals: 29th May

Prize Fund: The event carries a total prize fund of Rs3 lacs. The prize fund will be distributed across all editions of the championships.

Mr Subrata Dutta, Hony Secy, IFA observed at the conference, "It is a moment of excitement and fervour for me to announce the first ever TVS Futsal Championships Kolkata. The tournament is all set to unveil a first of its kind experience for the soccer-maniacs of the city. We are extremely confident that the tournament will be a rage of sorts and will lend heavily into further development, promotion and popularity of the sport. The Championships will be a rare treat for the city of Joy."

Speaking in the occasion, Mr Navneet Sharma, Managing Director, Indian Subcontinent and Middle East, Total Sports and Entertainment India said, "Total Sports & Entertainment India Pvt. Ltd. is happy to bring unique and integrated based sports properties to the Indian market place. TVS Futsal Championships, Kolkata is one of the first in the sport of soccer that we bring to you. We look forward to conceptualise and implement many more such propositions."

About Total Sports Asia (TSA) (www.totalsportsasia.com)

Total Sports Asia is Asia's leading sports marketing company, offering fully integrated sports marketing solutions. The company has earned a strong reputation for successfully building and expanding international brands in Asia through effective integrated marketing programs. The TSA HO is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with regional offices across Shanghai, Tokyo, Thailand, Singapore and Mumbai. Founded in 1997, the business ethos is to consistently provide innovative strategic solutions, offering Asian know-how with global attitudes and relevant local market experience for our clients. Some of major international properties exclusively represented by TSA across Asia:

o World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)

o US Open tennis at Media Rights for Asia ( 2005-2008)

o Latin American Football i.e. Copa America, South American world cup qualifiers.

o World Games 2005 in Germany ( Television rights across Asia)

Representation of the F1 Jordon team in selective markets in Asia.