Futsal

Soccer Mania is coming to Cebu.

Well this may sound a little late considering how the sport has become so huge in this corner of the world the past few years, but this event hopes to allow more Cebuanos a chance to get a feel of the sport in the comfort of the mall.

I learned about this event from my good friend Dodi Conejero yesterday.

The event, backed mainly by McDonald's, will be held in various SM Malls around the country. The schedule for Cebu will be on February 2 to 4.

What is Soccer Mania?

This is an event that would introduce the Pinoys to the wonderful world of indoor soccer. We call it futsal and I do know of many football buffs that are so hooked to the game.

In this event, we will get a chance to try out indoor soccer in the comfort of the mall and will not only allow people to play the sport, but also try the challenges and exercises that go with indoor football.

There would be fun games and a clinic during the three-day stretch.

Football has truly become a major sport in the country and more people are getting hooked to it in more ways than just playing.

With Soccer Mania and the many other events related to the sport, football is rapidly becoming a sport where a future professional league looks very viable.

Unless we have this pro league, forget about becoming the best even in the Southeast Asian region.

There is a future, but then we need to put certain things together so that the future can really be as bright as we want it to be.

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Since we're in the topic of futsal, I'd like you to know that a futsal tournament is going to take place today and tomorrow at the Don Bosco Technology Center campus in Punta Princesa.

This is part of the events lined up for the school's founder's day.

There is also a futsal event scheduled at the barangay Guadalupe gymnasium next month, which the Cebu City Sports Commission has endorsed.

With more events like these and more support from the private and government sectors, futsal can be the next big thing after the badminton boom in the country.

This sport can be played in the neighborhood basketball courts and needs not too much special equipment except maybe for the ball and the goals that have to be set up. These are however very minimal investments.

The biggest problem would be sharing the court with the basketball people, but that should be easy to arrange if the barangay officials would lend a hand.

It should be good to start pushing futsal this summer maybe in the next two years we can have players in most barangays of the city and in the towns where there are covered courts.

Once people get into futsal, it shall be easy to train them to play football on the field.

What's good about the sport is that even kids can enjoy it since they don't have to deal with the height of the ring unlike basketball and it is good for their self-confidence to get to shoot the ball even if they can't kick too hard yet.

The best way to find out is to try it and I'm sure the kids in your areas will easily learn to love futsal or football if given a chance to play the game.