Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, President of the Ghana Football Association has assured that the nation’s Football governing body,will continue to invest in Futsal football and give life and hope to industry players despite the enormous challenges that confront us.
He was speaking at the launch of the maiden edition of the Futsal Premier League in Accra on Tuesday.
‘’I know we have some challenges because it’s a new sport for us but because we believe in team work, and because we are working as a team, we believe that we will go through the challenges one by one as we journey along in our attempt to build an industry for lovers of futsal football’’ President Simeon-Okraku said.
‘’We may not have the best of pitches, we may not have the best of halls but the journey starts today and slowly and gradually we will invest in the sport and the sport will give life and hope to many people in this country.
‘’As a start, each of the 16 Futsal clubs will receive GHc10,000 and I can say confidently that already 50% of the amount has been paid to each of the 16 clubs.
‘’The 16 clubs will be divided into two zones of 8 each and the winners of the two zones will compete in the grand final and the winner would be crowned as champions of the first ever Futsal League’’ he added.
Sixteen clubs have registered to compete in the League. They include Real Heart FC, Blessed Stars FC, Future Stars FC, King Solomon FC, AMG FC, Dokota FC, GADU FC, Y2K FC, DANAC FC, and Stitch in Time. Others are, Auxano FC, Cancheros FC, Adenta Youth FC, San Ciro FC, Blessed Kickers FC and Blooming Smiles FC.
Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court like a basketball court, smaller than a football pitch and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is the goalkeeper. Unlimited substitutions are permitted. Unlike some other forms of indoor football, it is played on a hard court surface marked by lines; walls or boards are not used. It is played with a smaller, harder, lower-bounce ball than football.
