Courtesy: Contra Costa Times


Sports in season despite weather

A NEW SPORTS LEAGUE is starting this month in Richmond to keep young people active during the foul-weather months by bringing an outdoor activity inside.
The Youth Futsal League, an indoor version of soccer, started registration Dec. 1 and will continue taking sign-ups through Jan. 4.

The first coaches meeting was held last week, and play is set to start in mid-January.

The league capitalizes on the growing popularity of youth soccer by offering an off-season version that will play games in the gymnasium at the Richmond Recreation Complex, 3230 Macdonald Ave. If it attracts enough players, the league will have divisions for ages 12 and younger, 10 and younger and 8 and younger.

"We've gotten a good response, but we still need a few more teams," said Troy Porter, youth sports coordinator for the Richmond Recreation Department. "We currently have five 10-and-under teams signed up. We'd like to have eight teams in each division."

The Richmond league is sanctioned by the United States Futsal Federation; Hugo Perez, a Vallejo resident and a star on the 1984-88 U.S. World Cup soccer team, is actively involved. Perez "is very excited about the opportunity to work with the youth of Richmond," Porter said.

According to the federation, the sport originated in Uruguay in 1930 as something akin to basketball. Like basketball, Futsal is played indoors on a similar-sized court, with five players to a team. Both also trace their origin to the YMCA.

"I had just started in Richmond, and I noted that at Nichol Park every piece of grass was taken up by soccer," Porter said, adding that along with offering an off-season recreation activity, the new league "is a good way to get the Latino community into our recreation programs."
Players can sign up for the league during weekday business hours at the recreation complex. For details, call Porter at 510-620-6919. Learn more about Futsal online at http://www.futsal.org.






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