There were a lot of soccer games and a lot of futsal played over the weekend at the Gloria Hayden Community Centre for the 1st Annual Yorkton Indoor soccer tournament for U8, 10, 12, 14 and men's teams.
The tournament was more of a showcase of the sport of futsal for the Parkland Mall Men's league teams and extra floor space meant they could give some gym time to the kids soccer teams of Yorkton United soccer.
"It went really good," says Mike Jakubiec, of Yorkton United FC.
Futsal is played between two teams each with five players, one of whom is the goalkeeper.
Jakubiec said he's hoping that the futsal games inspired the younger kids to want to be good at futsal.
Yorkton already has a league running for futsal, with games being played on Tuesday nights from 8-10 p.m. The indoor season runs until the end of March, he said.
They are still looking for players. Registrations can be made on the Internet at www.yorktonunitedfc.ca.
Jakubiec added that both soccer and futsal have their pros and cons.
In futsal, unlimited substitutions are permitted. Unlike some other forms of indoor football, the game is played on a hard court surface delimited by lines; walls or boards are not used.
Futsal is also played with a smaller ball with less bounce than a regular football.
The rules create an emphasis on improvisation, creativity and technique as well as ball control and passing in small spaces and more speed bursts than in soccer.
"Futsal is more skill dependent," says Jakubiec.
There were a lot of soccer players and there were a lot of futsal players with over 20 matches scheduled.
"It's more of a showcase for men's futsal," he said.
Several U-groups of boys and girls soccer games also took place. Jakubiec said he hopes the futsal will inspire the younger kids to become interested in futsal.
The tournament was dubbed the 'first annual' as Jakubiec hopes to be able to turn it into an even bigger event including teams from other cities and towns.
"We just need to establish ourselves. It's relatively cheap to come here. We're offering $1000 for first place."
He said it could be interesting if out-of-town teams come into to challenge local clubs: "we could get some really strong teams," he insists.
The intensity of futsal is "about the same" as soccer, he said, adding that the idea is to keep the game "flowing".
"You must play at a very fast pace".
He added that futsal is good for getting players ready for when outdoor soccer season starts up.
