By JAMES KILA
INTERESTS in Futsal Football is picking well in Goroka, Eastern Highlands province with senior and junior players taking part.
Nine clubs in Goroka ranging from under 11 to senior grades commenced their matches at the National Sports Institute Oval last weekend.
Apart from Goroka, Kokopo is another centre in the country currently playing Futsal, however, it is mostly involving school children. Notably, Kokopo a couple of weeks ago.
Futsal is a FIFA sanctioned code played in most of the top soccer playing nations, however, mostly performed indoors.
It is somewhat similar to the code of soccer, however, it is played using five players in each opposing sides and the pitch used is smaller.
The initiative to start the Goroka Futsal Football Association from the hard work of soccer enthusiasts namely, Mathew Waram, who is currently the interim chairman, former PNG soccer international and currently NSI sports and excellence officer Jeffrey Gideon and NSI and communications officer Daniel Champion.
Gideon, in clarifying the rules of the code to The National yesterday, stated that in futsal there were five players in each opposing sides playing.
He added that the pitch was small measuring 25 X 15 m.
Gideon further clarified that all the fouls were similar to soccer, however, the ball was kept below the chest area and head was not used.
“When there is a high ball and head is used by a player then the referee blows the whistle indicating foul,” Gideon said.
He further clarified that fouls in futsal was quite unique that in the instances of first five fouls, there was a wall by the players against the attacking team. However, the instance of a sixth foul a direct penalty is taken.
Moreover, Gideon explained that there was no throw-in when the ball went out of the touch-line. Instead the ball is placed where it went out and a kick is taken.
The exhibition matches in the Goroka Futsal Football this weekend will feature nine teams in form of Shorncliffe Guria, who will feature in all grades, Westpac in the senior men’s, Cross Road in all divisions, Remington in the senior men’s, PNG Power in all division, PNG Institute of Medical Research in the senior men’s, Telikom in all divisions, LLG in senior men, under 18 and under 11 divisions and NSI in the senior men’s and under 18.