Courtesy: Quincy Herald-Whig


OLC kicks around idea for futsal league

Thursday, February 22, 2007

By Edward Husar

Herald-Whig Staff Writer

The Oakley-Lindsay Center is exploring the feasibility of getting back into hosting indoor soccer — but in a much different way than before.

The Quincy Civic Center Authority was asked Wednesday to consider making the OLC available for a futsal league.

Futsal is a type of indoor soccer that uses a heavier ball with two five-person teams. The game, which originated in Europe and is spreading throughout the United States, is designed for advanced soccer players who yearn for a chance to hone their passing and shooting skills while improving their conditioning.

Dan Brink, president of the 250-member Quincy United Soccer Club, asked the board to consider opening up the OLC for a limited period to let local soccer players try the sport and see whether they like it. If the concept gets a favorable review, a league could be formed.

"Let's try it and see what people think," Brink said. "You have everything you need right now to try it."

Brink said futsal does not require an artificial turf surface used in most indoor soccer leagues. Instead, the sport could be played on three existing volleyball courts already available at the OLC. The courts would have to be connected to one another to make a field large enough for futsal.

OLC officials seemed receptive to the idea. Lee Osborn, interim executive director, said he will check with the center's staff to see what's involved in setting up the volleyball courts for futsal. He said it's conceivable the OLC could be made available to Quincy United Soccer members sometime within the next couple of weeks on a trial basis.

"We need to fill the center up with something (during slow weekday periods)," Osborn said. "Let's see what this does."

The OLC had offered indoor soccer each year since 1996 until it canceled the sport in the fall 2005 because of a sharp drop in participation by local teams — many of which are now playing at the K&L Arena on Quincy's north end.

K&L's playing surfaces are the same caliber used by professional sports teams, and many soccer teams like to use that facility because it is "state of the art," Brink said.

He said starting a futsal league at the OLC would not be competition for K&L, because futsal is a different game and it would involve far fewer players — most of whom would continue to play indoor soccer at K&L.

Brink said futsal would merely provide an additional outlet for advanced players. "This would enhance the entire soccer community's skills," he said.

Brink said he doesn't know how futsal would go over with Quincy players. The only way to find out, he said, is to try it.

In other action, the Civic Center Authority heard about a proposal from Kent Anderson of Anderson Consultants of Quincy regarding the center's electricity costs, which are expected to rise about 17 percent this year because of a rate hike by AmerenCIPS.

Andersen is offering to find an alternative energy supplier that could save the center roughly $1,664 on its total electric bill for the year. That figure includes the fees Andersen would charge for his services, Osborn said.

No action was taken. The matter will be studied further.

The board also heard a report from auditor Tom Arnold regarding the fiscal year that ended April 30.

"Though we didn't have any significant difficulties in dealing with management folks in terms of getting information necessary to do the audit, we did have significant problems with regard to the way some of the records were maintained," Arnold told the board.

Arnold said his concerns involved some personnel matters, so the board went into closed session to discuss that issue.



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