Sports Planet D2D Premier Futsal League kick started its first match on 10th Feb, as twelve teams vie for the top prize of $500 in cash and the opportunity to play in a regional tournament in Kuala Lumpur.
Team Dynamite and Social United tussle for the ball
The league, jointly organised by D2D Sports and Sports Planet East Coast, is the first of its kind to offer such prizes to its title champion. Suresh Kannan, 27, Director of marketing at D2D Sports, said that the Premier Futsal League was organized to give futsal teams an avenue to compete and “an opportunity for overseas exposure”.
Teams like Deaf United is happy for this opportunity to compete in futsal. Deaf United is a social futsal team made up entirely of deaf players. Vice Captain Mr David Ong Hui Chong, 31, a line cook said that his team took part in the league so as to gauge their standing in the futsal arena. He also believes that the exposure to competition would be good for the team as well as attract new blood into the squad.
On the other hand, Kelly Buchanan, 35, Manager of the training department at Lucasfilm said that taking part in the competition was in ‘good fun’. The sole female player in Lucasfilm FC, Ms Buchanan said that her team had only “just started playing together”, but they have been “working to change their strategy” for coming matches.
Judging from the participating teams, the prospect of more competitive futsal leagues is likely. Futsal is usually regarded as a social activity. However, the participating teams of this league is good mix of both social and corporate teams. Team manager of Weston FC Mr Rajbir Chopra, 27, sales manager at Weston Corporation, believes that futsal is gaining popularity for several reasons. He said: “It is easier to get five people together… and it is easier to train for futsal than 11 a side (football).”
Weston FC represents Weston Corporation; the official equipment sponsor of the Sports Planet-D2D Premier Futsal League. All participants are thus insured for the duration of the league and are entitled to a starter kit valued at $25. The kit comprises of a shoe bag, socks and shin guards and insured for the duration of the match.
If you had missed the past two matches of this league, you can still catch subsequent matches at Sports Planet East Coast. Matches are played every Thursday night from 8 to 10pm until May and admission is free. Each match spans 3 halves, each lasting 12 minutes. Finalists will be determined through a league table format.
For more information on match fixtures and scores, click here
