To help promote the sport of futsal, the indoor version of football, a group of football enthusiasts will spearhead the staging of the 1st Tayud UTD FC All-Female Futsal Cup scheduled this weekend in barangay Tayud, Consolacion town, northern Cebu.
Organized by the Tayud United Football Club (FC) in partnership with Epiphany Philanthropic and the Consolacion FC, the tournament will be held at the sports complex of Tayud Elementary School.
The tournament will also serve as a fundraising activity for the benefit of Kythe Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps children suffering from cancer and chronic illnesses.
The group behind the upcoming event believes there are not enough venues for football tournaments although Cebu City is known as home to several football clubs.
With futsal, venues will no longer be a problem as games are held in barangay gymnasiums.
The tournament will also serve as a preparation by Saint Theresa’s College (STC), which will represent Region 7 in the futsal tournament in the upcoming Palarong Pambansa in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.
“We are very happy that we were able to put up this tournament to prepare our representatives for Palarong Pambansa. Aside from that we are also promoting the sport in the grassroot level,” said Roy Tuñacao in the event’s launching yesterday at Ding Qua Qua Restaurant in JY Square Mall in barangay Lahug, Cebu City.
The tournament, which will also serve as one of the highlights of Tayud’s fiesta celebration, will feature the under-15 girls and ladies open categories. Each category will be competed in by 10 teams.
Also present in the launching were Tuñacao’s co-organizers Ulysses Birondo, Ronan Belleza and Rosner Bollozos of the Talisay City Razkals FC.
Tuñacao stressed barangay gymnasiums are not just for basketball since futsal also requires five players in each team like basketball and implements duplicate rules and regulations as football’s.
Tuñacao, however, lamented that some barangay officials barred the staging of futsal in barangay gymnasiums for fear that it may damage the facility.
“The world’s top football countries used futsal in the grassroots level to develop the players’ ball handling and passing abilities which is proven to be very effective when playing the full-scale football. This weekend we want everyone to watch the tournament and see for themselves how good the sport is,” Tuñacao said.
Futsal is actually a popular sport abroad.
In fact, the Cebu-based Leylam FC will represent the country in the world championships of F5WC, the world’s largest five-aside indoor football tournament set in April in Dubai, UAE.
For the opening day, STC will go up against Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC). Alse seeing action in the under-15 girls’ contest are Barili FC, Talisay City Razkals, Lilo-an FC, host team, Tayud United FC, Don Bosco Lilo-an, San Roque FC, Giuseppe FC and Mary Hope Christian School of Minglanilla town, southern Cebu.
In the ladies open, Global and MEPZA football clubs have pledged to field their own teams along with Tayud United FC, STC, University of the Philippines (UP) Alumni players and Talisay City Razkals.
Organizers are still waiting for other teams to confirm their participation.
“We decided to make an all-female tournament because women are more calm,” said Tuñacao, adding tournaments with male participants are more physical which sometimes results in altercations.
Trophies will be given to the players of the champion team and runner-ups in each category.
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