Futsal Camp & Tournament Seek To Expand Already Growing Sport

Futsal has been a growing sport at Foley Sports Tourism (FST), and grows, even more, this week during the Gulf Coast Futsal End of Summer Camp August 7 – 9 and August Futsal Challenge on August 10.

Event Director, Zack Touchstone, said running a camp right into a tournament gives players a chance to perfect their game.

“[The Challenge] is held a day after the Gulf Coast Futsal camp ends, allowing teams to train during the week then play to test their skills,” Touchstone said.

The camp anticipates 30 participants ranging in age from 7 – 15. The kids will learn from a number of coaches, including one who’s played on some large stages.

“The camp will feature a new topic each session. On Friday, we will feature Marcelo Goncalves, who was a World Cup player for Brazil,” Touchstone said. “Futsal is the most popular variant of soccer in the world.  It is helping soccer players technically improve and increase their speed of play.”

Foley Sports Tourism Event Operations Manager, Angie Sullivan, explains the event will offer the same type of practice for the FST staff.

“While futsal helps participants improve their skills, hosting these events help our staff prepare for our fall soccer schedule,” Sullivan said.  “We have a number of large outdoor soccer events this fall, starting with the Publix SuperCup in September. Futsal helps us get into a soccer mindset and start preparing for what’s to come. I guess you could say it’s our goodbye to summer event.”

The Gulf Coast Futsal End of Summer Camp runs from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. August 7-8. August 9 will feature one session from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The August Futsal Challenge expects to begin at 9:30 a.m. August 10, but the time is subject to change. The tournament will be open to the public with a $5 admission charge.

For more information on the camp our tournament, visit our events page.